'Balotelli can be as good as Messi and Ronaldo'

Manchester: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini believes Mario Balotelli can become as good as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, if he can change his “crazy” attitude.

Balotelli scored the opening two goals in City's crushing 6-1 victory at rivals Manchester United on Sunday, and the 21-year-old also forced the 47th-minute dismissal of United defender Jonny Evans.

It came after the controversial Italian striker was forced to flee from his burning house in the early hours of Saturday morning after he set off fireworks in the bathroom with a friend.

"If we want to talk about Mario the football player, we can put him in the first five players in the world," Mancini said after the game.

"I don't know what happened apart from the fact that he lives in a hotel now. I hope for him and for football that Mario can change his mind. After this, he can become one of the best players in the world like Messi and Ronaldo."

"The problem is because of his age, he can make some mistakes. He's Mario. He's crazy - but I love him because he's a good guy."

"I am happy for him because he scored two important goals, because he played well, because he was serious on the pitch," he continued.

City ripped United apart on Sunday, but Mancini insisted the margin of victory did not have a bearing on his satisfaction as his side moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

He added: "I'm satisfied because we beat United away. I don't think there are many teams who can win here. The 6-1 is important for the supporters, but I'm just happy for the three points."

"I think we played very well against Bolton and Tottenham, but this is different because we were against a strong team like United."

"I watched three or four United games from the last month and they conceded a lot of chances to their opponents."

"I think the season will be very long. There are four or five teams who can win the title. There are 29 games until the end."

"It's an important win for our confidence and because we showed we are a strong team," he added.

The Italian insisted that the scoreline was not the most important factor on the day, but the win that takes them five points clear of their Manchester rivals.

"I think that after the sending off it was easier, but we were playing very well. For the first 25 minutes United played well but they didn’t have more chances," he told Sky Sports.

"It's good but I think that it's not important 6-1 [the scoreline], it's important that we beat a fantastic team."

"This is normal when you play at Old Trafford because United are a strong team."