Football’s lost boys Morrison and Balotelli seek redemption and stir nostalgia | Richard Williams


Ravel Morrison’s fine strike for the Mexican side Atlas and the news that Mario Balotelli has rediscovered his goalscoring touch at Nice will have us wondering, yet again, if these great talents can come into sharp and sustained focus

Thirty yards from goal, the player controls the short square pass on the half-turn before moving smoothly forward. Two light touches, a stepover, two more touches to veer away from a second defender, then a left-footed shot from a yard outside the edge of the penalty area, carefully measured inside the left‑hand post.

“MORRI-SON! MORRI-SON! MORRI‑SON! MORRI‑SON!” The Mexican TV commentator is going crazy. It is only a friendly during the international break but he thinks he has seen the future.

Related: Juan Mata: ‘People underestimate football. It gives hope to so many people’

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