Super Mario 'must stop being a fool'

Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong has warned controversial teammate Mario Balotelli to stop acting like a "fool".

Balotelli has repeatedly earned headlines for his bizarre antics on and off the pitch since moving to Eastlands from Inter Milan, and the City striker was at it again over the last week.

First the Italian irked City boss Roberto Mancini by using his time off to make an unscheduled appearance at the press conference to unveil new Inter boss Andrea Stramaccioni.

Then Balotelli, who also set fire to his bathroom by letting off fireworks earlier this season, was involved in a dressing room bust-up with Yaya Toure over the taking of a second-half free kick in last Saturday's 3-3 draw with Sunderland.

The latest antics have come at a bad time, as City have surrendered top spot in the Premier League to Manchester United and are five points behind their arch-rivals.

With the title slipping away, De Jong has urged Balotelli to stop courting controversy.

"Sometimes Mario is a fool and at other times he is a genius - there are two sides to him," he said.

"Lots of people expect him to pull off crazy stunts and as a result he feels he must do something.

"He is happy in his personal relationship. But he knows that he has to become more serious-minded."