Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli has defended Jerome Boateng after he was relentlessly mocked following Bayern Munich's Champions League semi-final first leg against Barcelona.
Boateng came in for a lot of criticism after Lionel Messi left him on the floor, turning him inside out in scoring Barcelona's second goal in a 3-0 win at the Camp Nou.
Boateng’s slip against Lionel Messi was all over the media last week, but Balotelli has now come to the defence of the German World Cup winner.
The Bayern Munich defender slipped as he tried to prevent Messi from scoring his brilliant second goal in the 3-0 defeat to FC Barcelona last Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League.
Subsequently, Boateng became a target of social media trolling, but Balotelli defended the Bayern star with a meaningful Instagram post.
The defender was mercilessly mocked on social media with a collection of memes, before he hit back himself with a message on Twitter.
"Haters will broadcast your failure, but whisper your success," his post read.
The struggling Liverpool striker Balotelli posted a picture of Boateng holding the World Cup trophy, reminding everyone that it was the Germany defender who kept Messi quiet during the final in Brazil.
Boateng was the centre block in Germany’s defence as they beat Messi’s Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final.
While Boateng may have slipped in the Champions League against Barcelona, Balotelli rightfully pointed out that Boateng has something Messi may never get – a World Cup winners medal.
Now Balotelli has moved to defend his former Manchester City team-mate with a message of his own which he posted on Instagram.
"Jerome Boateng - many people take the piss but they might have forgotten a few months ago he won this. Keep it up bro," Balotelli wrote, accompanied by a photo of Boateng posing with the World Cup trophy.
Balotelli and Boateng briefly played together at Manchester City before their careers took different paths but they are both of Ghanaian descent.