Mario Balotelli has hit out at fans who displayed an offensive banner during Italy’s 2-1 friendly win over Saudi Arabia on Monday.
The Nice striker marked his first international appearance in four years with his side’s second goal in the victory in St Gallen.
A positive first match under Roberto Mancini was soured when a banner was seen in the stands bearing the words ‘my captain has Italian blood’.
It appeared to be a sign aimed at Balotelli, who has been tipped to become one of Italy’s vice-captains given the likes of Gianluigi Buffon and Daniele De Rossi have retired from international football.
The 27-year-old, whose biological parents are Ghanaian, responded to the fans in an Instagram post, writing: “Guys, we’re living in 2018! Wake up! Please stop with that.”