Former Italy coach Marcello Lippi has explained leaving out Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli from last year's World Cup squad.
Balotelli, then at Inter, was being talked about as a contender to make the 23-man squad, but Lippi never called him up to his Giro Azzurro.
"I said in South Africa that Balotelli would have a great future," the former Juventus tactician told Sky Sport Italia.
"However, I didn't call him up because he didn't deserve it at the time. He was struggling to perform for the Italian Under-21 side back then
"He's now improved though and today he's a point of strength for the international side."
