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RECIFE, Brazil -- Mario Balotelli couldnt care less if hes mentioned in the same breath as Neymar or Lionel Messi at this World Cup -- as long as he comes away with the trophy. cheap china jerseys . Having scored the winning goal in Italys 2-1 victory over England and now getting ready for Fridays match against Costa Rica, the temperamental forward has gained more attention than any other Azzurri player in Brazil. "I hope this is Italys World Cup, not Marios. Im not really interested in being compared with the big stars," Balotelli said Thursday. "In the end its the squad that wins. I dont want to be a big star. I want to win the World Cup." "Personally, I want to score as many goals as possible," he added at the official pre-match news conference. "But the important thing is that the squad wins and advances." Wearing a black cap turned backward and a total of three diamond earrings -- two on his right ear, one on the left -- Balotelli was his usual candid self. Asked if he minds being the lone forward in coach Cesare Prandellis 4-1-4-1 formation, Balotelli snapped back: "As long as I play." This is a first World Cup for Balotelli, who helped lead Italy to the 2012 European Championship final. "This is the biggest event of my career and I want to give my all," he said. "The World Cup is more important than the Golden Ball, the Champions League or the scudetto (Serie A title), so its only normal that it creates a spark inside of you." Balotelli has made headlines almost from the moment he landed in Brazil, first by proposing to his Belgian girlfriend on a moon-lit beach in the week leading up to the England match. "The proposal had nothing to do with the World Cup," Balotelli said. "The proposal would have occurred even without the World Cup." Balotelli is coming off an up-and-down club season with AC Milan and has been the subject of rampant transfer speculation in recent weeks. There have been reports that Arsenal is offering Milan a (euro)30 million ($40 million) transfer fee, and a contract for Balotelli worth 180,000 pounds (more than $300,000) per week. "My focus is 100 per cent on the World Cup," he said. "I dont know what will happen afterward. I dont know anything." While he does appear focused, Balotelli was not prepared for questions about Costa Ricas players. For example, what does he think about Keylor Navas, who had a strong season with Levante and is considered one of the top goalkeepers in the Spanish league? "Honestly, Im unprepared for this question because I havent seen the Costa Rica goalkeeper," he responded. OK, so what impressed him about Costa Ricas defence in a 3-1 win over Uruguay? "I saw the match but to be sincere I didnt study the players," Balotelli said. "Ill watch them tonight." That was the point when Prandelli butted in and offered help. "If you want, I can answer about all of the players," the coach told a Costa Rican journalist with a smile. Costa Rica defender Giancarlo Gonzalez, however, wasnt amused. "We will let the world know that we are here," Gonzalez said. Sitting right next to Balotelli, Prandelli managed to analyze his prized players hot and cold streaks as if he were there alone. "If you look at Mario in these four years there have been moments of alarm," Prandelli said. "One moment hes the man whos going to bring you to the top of the world and then a moment later he shouldnt even be at the World Cup." "The important thing for us is for him to stay focused and play like he did in the last match," Prandelli added. "If he does that for 90 minutes he could be decisive. He needs to give 100 per cent." wholesale jerseys . Play hard, play tough and play rough. The philosophy has been a lesson in frustration for opponents. cheap jerseys . -- It wouldnt bother Zack Greinke if he didnt have to travel for the Los Angeles Dodgers opener against Arizona in Australia.WINNIPEG -- Life in the NHL can begin anew at 30, at least for Winnipeg Jets defenceman Adam Pardy. After 58 games this season Pardy has five assists, is a plus three and logging upwards of 18 minutes a night. "I think its gone in the right direction, where I definitely wanted it to go" he said this week of his first season with the Jets. He never has been an offensive defenceman who posted big numbers. But his responsible style seems to be what the Jets need and the six-foot-four, 220-pound native of Bonavista, N.L., brings some much-needed size to Winnipegs blue-line. "This year its been an interesting year," he said. "From sitting out 15 games in a row, being a healthy scratch, to now playing some minutes and finally getting my game going." Pardy has had more than his share of hard luck since turning pro in 2005 and admits there were times when he wondered if he would continue. "It doesnt go back to the start of this year, it goes back to the day I left Calgary and when I blew my shoulder out and went to Dallas and things just didnt go well," he said. "You start thinking that youre not good enough and its really tough to play and I think thats where I was a while back . . . last year and the year before. Confidence is a tough thing to get, and once you lose it its hard to get back." Drafted by the Calgary Flames in the sixth round in 2004, he turned professional in 2005 and began the season with Calgarys AHL affiliate. It wasnt a great start, and he soon found himself in the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL. After his play improved he went back to the AHL and made his NHL debut in the Flames season opener in 2008. He finished his second NHL season with two goals and seven assists in 57 games but a separated shoulder caused him to miss the first two months of the 2010-11 season. He missed the last two months as well because of injury. The following season as a free agent, he signed a two-yeear, US$4 million contract with the Dallas Stars but started on injured reserve list and ended up playing only 36 games before being traded to Buffalo. cheap jerseys from china. Once again, Pardy split the lockout-abbreviated season between the NHL and AHL, and this season Winnipeg became his fourth team in four seasons when he signed a US$600,000 one-year deal. He also had to clear waivers and spent some time with Winnipegs AHL affiliate in St. Johns. "Its never an easy thing to deal with, being set down to the minors," Pardy said. "Pretty much every player has to deal with something like that as some point in their career. You learn from it and take whatever you can out of it to make yourself better the next day." An injury to Jacob Trouba, Winnipegs No. 1 draft pick in 2012 and one of their star rookies this season, saw Pardy brought back after only a few games. He says, in some ways, hes had to go back to that nervous kid who suited up for the first time with the Flames as he rebuilds his game. "As every games gone on, I feel a little more comfortable with the puck, a little more confident." Pardy also became the focus of attention for Winnipeg fans when he had his helmet ripped off by a Chicago fan after he was checked through the glass at the United Center, then had a beer poured over his head. "Its tough enough to get put through the glass, but then to get a beer thrown on my head, too, not a good thing," he said at the time. A radio host tried to promote a "helmet Pardy" and get fans to wear helmets when Chicago next visited Winnipeg but Jets co-owner Mark Chipman killed the stunt. For his part, Pardy not only kept his cool when he was subjected to the beer shower, he says hes tried to stop worrying about his future. "You stay patient, you stay confident and good things are going to happen and you know what, if not, then theres a lot more to life than just hockey," he said. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' '
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