Mario Balotelli cooks up a storm in Milan
It seems that wherever he goes, AC Milan star Mario Balotelli, dubbed the "bad boy" of football, cannot shrug off controversy or extravagance.
At only 22, the Italian national striker already owns an extensive car collection with an Audi R8, Maserati GT, Bentley Continental GT, Ferrari 458 Spider and Ranger Rover Evoque.
He recently added a new model to his collection - a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta - and showed off his new purchase on Milan's luxury streets before heading into a Louis Vuitton boutique with a friend.
The car is said to cost him £250,000 (S$486,000) -- a mere steal for Balotelli, who earns €4.5 million euros (S$7.6 million) at AC Milan annually.
Perhaps the car served as much-needed distraction from his dramatic off-the-pitch life, which has been dubbed "oltre complicato" (beyond complicated) by Italian press.
In a fresh controversy, Balotelli's ex-girlfriend, Rafaella Fico, who is also the mother of a daughter Pia he refuses to acknowledge, has taken the unusual step of suing Balotelli's adoptive parents in Brescia for "cashing in and exploiting" their son.
In an open letter to Gazzetta Dello Sport, Silvia and Franco Balotelli hit out at Rafaella's claim - and naturally, did not hold their tongues.
“Our son is not the irresponsible and undignified person you have described."
"For some time now, Raffaella, all you have been interested in is reporters and photographers," wrote husband and wife in the national newspaper.
"You have not had a moment’s hesitation in expressing your every sentiment, confusing truth and fiction purely to appear on front covers."
"Obviously you have your reasons for making your life a media event but you cannot drag everyone along with you. You cannot sell as the truth mud that insults the dignity of others.”
Meanwhile, Gerard Pique of Barcelona and Shakira have been spending their holidays stateside in Las Vegas and Hawaii.
And despite Barca's pre-season kicking off this week with a disappointing 2-0 loss to Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich, Pique, 25, chose to party up at a Hollywood nightclub after dinner at a popular celebrity joint.
Ironically, no one seemed to recognise the couple at the club, especially since both chose to dress down.
Pique and his beau, Shakira, took a last minute vacation to Hawaii with their adorable son Milan, to bask in the glorious summer. The couple chose the volcanic island as the final stage of their holidays.
'I didn’t have my four months of maternity like every woman on earth has. I’m not trying to complain, but it’s been a process full of challenges,' said Shakira.
