Balotelli was great fun to work with, claims Mourinho (despite their past spats)... but why is Milan star eating a ping-pong ball?

Published: 12:53 EDT, 5 March 2014 | Updated: 08:07 EDT, 6 March 2014

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Roberto Mancini might not agree with him, but Jose Mourinho has claimed that working with Mario Balotelli is nothing but 'fun' for a manager.

Balotelli's time at Manchester City was blighted by a series of controversial incidents that would have had then City boss Mancini tearing his hair out, including an infamous evening lighting fireworks in his bathroom, training pitch fights with team-mates and taking his own club to a tribunal.

The Chelsea manager also had his fair share of run-ins with Balotelli during their time at Inter Milan, before the striker joined City. Mourinho criticised his attitude towards training and also once said that he 'came close to a zero rating' after a particularly poor performance.

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Jose Mourinho telling a classic Mario Balotelli tale

Wiff-waff whizz: Mario Balotelli posted this picture on Twitter and claimed he has never lost at table-tennis

A picture tells a thousand words: Mourinho (right) glares at Balotelli during Inter training in 2010

Pulling no punches: Mourinho and Balotelli argue after the striker scored against Siena in 2009

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But the passage of time appears to have softened Mourinho's views on Balotelli, and the former Porto and Real Madrid boss now claims that he always enjoyed working with the fiery forward when he was 'a kid'.

Balotelli suggested he has not yet totally grown up on when he shared a picture with his Twitter followers on Wednesday, posing by a table-tennis table with with a ping-pong ball in his mouth. 'If someone thinks they can beat me just let me know! I own you all I bet! I've never lost!' he said.

But Mourinho, who has become a Global Football Ambassador for Yahoo, said that he has nothing but good memories of working with the now 23-year-old AC Milan striker.

Balotelli fan: Chelsea boss Mourinho has admitted he is an admirer of the volatile Italian

Why always him? Balotelli displays the T-shirt slogan that gained him notoriety after scoring at Old Trafford

Bust-up: A furious Roberto Mancini (right) got to grips with Balotelli in training at Carrington

'It was great fun, I always thought that was great fun and I have good memories of that,' said Mourinho.

'Obviously with a kid like him - when he was a kid, maybe now he is a bit different - at that time you have your ups and downs and we had our ups and downs. But at the end of the day I enjoyed it, I think he enjoyed it too.

'He learned a few things – or not! – but he enjoyed it too and he was a Champions League winner at eighteen-years-old.'

Despite Mourinho's warm words about Balotelli, he does not see himself working with the striker again in the future.

All right now: Balotelli is flourishing with AC Milan following his move away from City

Watch out, Brazil! Balotelli will be heading to the World Cup this summer with Italy

Best seat in the house: Mourinho (second right) is back at his spiritual home with Chelsea

The Portuguese suggested he thought it unlikely that Milan would want to let their star striker leave, particularly as he is Italian.

'In football you never know the future but I think at this moment he is with a big club, Milan.

'I suppose that they want to keep the best players and they want to keep the best Italian players.

'He was already in English football, for sure I am not going to be his manager at Milan or at the Italian national team so I don’t think there is any situation in the future but he’s a good guy, he’s a good kid.'

Yahoo is excited to unveil Jose Mourinho as their global football ambassador for 2014. Mourinho will be an exclusive analyst for Yahoo’s worldwide football coverage, including the FIFA World Cup 2014, and will also provide exclusive behind the scenes content from his world on his own Tumblr mourinhoforyahoo.tumblr.com.