Genoa officially announced on Monday the signing of Italian forward Mario Balotelli, who joins on a contract until June 2025 after being a free agent since the end of last season.

"Mario Balotelli is a new player for Genoa. The Italian forward, born in Palermo on 09/12/1990, has signed with his new club. Throughout his career, Balotelli has won nine professional titles with his clubs. As part of the national team, he was the top scorer and a runner-up in Euro 2012, totaling 36 caps and 14 goals. Welcome to Genoa, Super Mario!" the club statement read.

Balotelli, whose contract with Turkish side Adana Demirspor ended in June, hasn't played since May 12, a match in which he was also sent off.

Genoa, dealing with a series of injuries to key players like Junior Messias from Brazil, Portugal’s Vitinha, and Ghanaian Caleb Ekuban, and having lost Italian Mateo Retegui in the summer to Atalanta after Gianluca Scamacca’s injury, looked to Balotelli as a solution. The 34-year-old became one of the main options for head coach Alberto Gilardino, his former Italian national teammate in 2010.

Balotelli arrived in Genoa (northern Italy) on Sunday night and completed his medical, signed his contract, and trained individually on Monday. He’s set to join the team in full training on Tuesday.

"I’m eager, I’m ready, and honestly, I don’t want to talk – I just want to play," Balotelli told reporters before finalizing his contract.

The forward, who has been training independently in Brescia, a town near Milan, is expected to stay until the end of the 2025 season. However, reports from Italian media indicate Genoa has included a clause allowing contract termination in January 2025 due to performance issues.

Balotelli could make his Serie A debut as soon as Thursday in Genoa's home match against Fiorentina at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium.

This signing marks Balotelli's return to Italian football. He previously played for Inter Milan from 2007 to 2010, winning a historic treble under José Mourinho. His career continued with stints at Manchester City, where he won a Premier League and an FA Cup; AC Milan; Liverpool; and again AC Milan in 2015-16 before leaving top-tier Italian football.

Since then, Balotelli has played for clubs such as Nice, Marseille, Brescia, Monza (Serie B), Adana Demirspor, and Sion.