Sampdoria forward Stefano Okaka has claimed that Mario Balotelli was a failure during his time at AC Milan.
The Italian international completed a move to Liverpool last month for a reported fee of £16m, after spending 18 months at the San Siro.
"Is the fact Balotelli left Serie A for England a failure for our football? No, if anything he is the one who failed," Okaka told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "Does he think great champions were never under pressure? When Ibrahimovic was in Italy, he scored 30 goals per season.
"He mustn't keep looking to blame others. Mario is a great player, but if he had problems in Italy then half the responsibility is his.
"At times in life you need to stop and look inside yourself. The fact remains he is a great player and this new English experience might help him rediscover the hunger he once had."
Okaka scored for Sampdoria in his club's 2-0 win over Torino this afternoon.
Alex Meyers
