Part of a school in South Sudan named after Mario Balotelli

Category: Football

Publish Date: 12-11-2011 08:13 PM -0500

You might not expect children to be educated in a building with a wing named after Mario Balotelli, a 21-year-old footballer known for having his bathroom charred in a fireworks accident and scoring goals with his shoulder, but it is happening.

He's given wads of cash to homeless strangers and reportedly accompanied a child to school so he could confront a bully, so in a way, donating money to build a school is a natural progression in the good deeds of Mario Balotelli.

From Eurosport:

Kon Kelei, now 29, was forced into battle as a four-year-old by rebels of the Sudan's People Liberation Army, but he later escaped the conflict and became a refugee in Holland.

After graduating in law during his time in the Netherlands, he returned to South Sudan following their declaration of independence, after which a film documenting his life was produced, titled 'The Silent Army'.

Balotelli was so moved after watching the biopic that he made contact with Kelei and offered to help finance a project to build a secondary school. [...]

The secondary school in Cuey Machar will now have a 'Mario Balotelli wing' in the Italian's honour.

According to Balotelli's official website, he donated his compensation from a testimonial match to Kelei's project. As much as we all joke about Mario's often surreal antics, he's already done more for others at just 21 years old than many people twice his age. It's probably just a matter of time before they build statues of him in town squares with the words "Why always me?" etched across his chest.

Meanwhile, it remains unclear what they will be teaching in the Mario Balotelli wing. But psychology, advanced hairstyling and remedial pyrotechnics would all be solid options.

Photo: MarioBalotelli.it

Read more sport in Football