AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi has described Liverpool's on-loan striker Mario Balotelli as "an Italian who has taken a bit too much sun".
The former prime minister of Italy made the controversial comment about Balotelli, who was born in Sicily to Ghanaian parents but adopted by Italian foster parents, while visiting Milan's training complex.
When asked whether Balotelli, who has suffered from racist abuse in the past, had become a valuable player for the Serie A club this term, Berlusconi said as quoted by Tuttosport: "We are rich with individual talents, like [Jeremy] Menez and Balotelli, who is an Italian who has taken a bit too much sun."
The comment comes after Berlusconi, then prime minister, called US president Barack Obama "young, handsome, and tanned" in 2008, which provoked much criticism.
Balotelli himself has endured a difficult time at Milan since sealing a season-long loan move from Liverpool in the summer, having made just 10 league appearances and scoring one goal for the Rossoneri this term.
