FILE -- In this July 1, 2012 file photo, Italy's Mario Balotelli, center and Spain's Jordi Alba fight for the ball during the Euro 2012 soccer championship final between Spain and Italy in Kiev, Ukraine. Four years after his goals propelled Italy into the European Championship final, Mario Balotelli won't even get a chance to play in this year's tournament. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
The Associated Press
FLORENCE, Italy (AP) - If Mario Balotelli behaved more like a team player and less like "a prima donna," he might not have been excluded from Italy's squad.
That was the message that defender Leonardo Bonucci conveyed Wednesday at the Azzurri's training camp for the European Championship.
Bonucci says, "It's always all been in Mario's hands. He needed to be intelligent enough to change and he still hasn't done so. He would have been a key member of this national team if he had understood that. And if he had understood that we need armored tanks who sacrifice themselves for their teammates rather than prima donnas, he would be one of the best strikers in the world."
Balotelli hasn't played for Italy since the Azzurri's first-round elimination from the 2014 World Cup.
Italy's national soccer team coach, Antonio Conte walks in the pitch during a training session in Coverciano, near Florence, Italy, Tuesday, May 24, 2016. (Maurizio Degli Innocenti/Ansa via AP)
The Associated Press
FILE- In this June 28, 2012 file photo, Italy's Mario Balotelli celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the Euro 2012 soccer championship semifinal match between Germany and Italy in Warsaw, Poland. Four years after his goals propelled Italy into the European Championship final, Mario Balotelli won't even get a chance to play in this year's tournament. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
The Associated Press