Exactly 11 years ago: Balotelli sent Italy to the final of Euro 2012, but after a beautiful goal he gave a cool celebration

It happened exactly 11 years ago. It was probably one of the most bizarre celebrations after scoring a goal, but Mario Balotelli was also known for this and other gestures. He performed a very spectacular celebration in the semi-final of Euro 2012, when he knocked out Germany with two goals to send Italy to the final.

Mario Balotelli is a phenomenon of European football, albeit because of his many excesses, gestures and statements in a rather negative sense.

In his time, however, he was one of the most talented players on the planet, which he also proved on several occasions. The Palermo native was, for example, an important link of the team at the 2012 European Championships, where Italy reached the final.

Balotelli already helped his team to progress in the group stage with a goal against Ireland. The Italians faced Spain, Croatia and the Irish in Group C, advancing to the tournament’s eighth finals in Poland and Ukraine from second place.

In the quarter-finals, Italy faced a very tough opponent in England. No goals were scored in normal time and none in extra time. The advancing team had to be decided by penalty kicks, whereupon Balotelli kicked the first Italian penalty.

And he didn’t disappoint. Although Ricardo Montolivo missed his attempt immediately afterwards, the Italians still managed the penalty shootout better and advanced to the semi-finals.

At this stage of the tournament, another very tough opponent awaited Italy – Germany. And it was in this match that Balotelli proved his worth, shooting his team through two accurate shots to reach the Euro finals.

A great shot, a special celebration

Balotelli scored the first goal in the 20th minute when he headed in after a centre from Antonio Cassano. He added a second and truly beautiful goal 16 minutes later. He gave Manuel Neuer no chance.

As you can already see in the video above, Balotelli, after scoring the goal, performed probably one of the most spectacular celebrations in football history. But the indisputable fact remains that it was he who sent Italy to the Euro 2012 final.

Mesut Özil reduced the deficit for Germany in stoppage time in the second half. But the Italians did not win the coveted trophy. On the other hand, the Spaniards confirmed their dominance in world football with a clear 4-0 victory.