From www.npr.org - July 12, 2012 9:41 PM
The star of Italy's Euro 2012 team is the Sicilian-born son of Ghanaian immigrants, raised by an adoptive, white Italian family. Mario Balotelli has been subjected to racism on and off the field.

 

Cultural and national identities are often deeply intermingled with ethnicity and race.  Mario Balotelli's success in the European Championships and the post towards Italian pride has led to intriguing discussions about what it means to be Italian and who can be called Italian.