Balotelli hit by team-mates' kipper prank

Mario Balotelli has been done up like a kipper by his Manchester City team-mates after they left rotting fish in the back of his car while the team went off on a pre-season tour.

The controversial Italian striker has wound up just about everyone in Manchester with his antics ever since arriving at the club last summer, which have included throwing darts at youth team players (because he was "bored"), racking up £10,000 of parking fines, inciting manager Roberto Mancini to throw a suitcase at him, and winding up Yaya Toure on the training ground
But The Sun reports that his fellow City stars got their own back by putting a sports bag full of kippers behind his car's passenger seat just before they all headed off to the US for a two-week training tour.
The 20-year-old returned to his car after returning to England - and was almost knocked out by the overpowering stench when he opened the door of his £150,000 Maserati.
"Mario had his head in his hands," the paper's source said. "The smell nearly made him sick. It was revolting.
"There were flies in the car and the leather seats in the back had rotting fish all over them."
The fishy reek is apparently so bad that the car is expected to be a write-off - not that the superstar will struggle to buy a replacement on his £100,000-a-week wages.
The prank could yet backfire on Balotelli's team-mates, however: the Italian is apparently determined to get his own back.
"He has absolutely no idea who is responsible as he has wound up so many of his team-mates over the past year," the Sun's source continued.
"It won't put an end to the pranks, though. He's already formulating plans for revenge."