But the thing about Balotelli that makes him so appealing, despite such woefulness, is that there is more to him than irritable inconsistency, more indeed than batty extravagance. More to him, moreover, than the generosity of spirit evident in stunts like paying for a bunch of homeless men to spend last Christmas in a luxury hotel. What is so endearing about him is that he appears to have an amused appreciation of the absurdity of his position.