The Restraining of Mario Balotelli

This is just a great picture:

An Angry Mario Balotelli is restrained by fans after an altercation on the pitch with Manchester United's Chris Smalling. Picture Credit:  Paul Ellis / AFP / Getty Images

This picture was taken shortly after an incident between Liverpool's star crossed striker Mario Balotelli and Manchester United's Chris Smalling.  During a challenge Smalling sort of pushed Balotelli into the advertising boards ringing the pitch.  Balotelli then held onto Smalling's foot as he tried to walk away and Smalling, knowing that Super Mario was already on one yellow card yet clearly losing his head, said something to Balotelli concerning his mother or his country of origin or the fact that his banana bread was still bland and leathery.

The fans know Mr. Balotelli all too well, and upon hearing the insult took it upon themselves to keep Balotelli from lashing out again at Smalling, possibly earning himself a second yellow and an ejection to boot. Balotelli actually thanked fans on his facebook page for keeping him back.

I love this picture because it just captures a huge range of human emotion.  There is the childish anger, white hot rage, jaw dropping shock, thoughtful disdain, drunken indifference, eager anticipation, and then there is that poor old lady in the front row, covering her hat lest it be blown off in the vitriolic wind.  It's a fantastic shot.

And incredibly, in the middle of it all, is just sheer absurdity.  A man in a Superman shirt wearing some kind of floppy hat who can merely shake his finger in self righteous indignation at the insulting Smalling, a kid who looks, honestly, flat out drunk to me.  Not "War Machine" drunk, but pretty well stoned.  And above him is a tired man who kind of reminds me of a disapproving Kermit the Frog.

Classic.  Just a classic.  Well done Paul Ellis.  Well done.