With six goals from five games at his new club the striker is back in the headlines but this time it is for all the right reasons and a return for Italy is his target

For the umpteenth international break since last appearing for his country during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Mario Balotelli is doing his own thing as his compatriots pull on the Azzurri jersey. Yet, unlike most of these weeks spent kicking around in the international wilderness, widely regarded as an outlier incapable of fulfilling his potential, this time the Balotelli question feels sharply pertinent. Italy’s forward options are not the most inspiring, and a few miles along from the coast of Liguria, in the south of France, Balotelli’s goal blaze is firing the imagination.

This complex, sometimes maddening, spark of powerful attacking talent has been reignited at Nice. After a couple of fruitless seasons where his career stalled at Liverpool and on loan at Milan, Balotelli has been busy reminding critics why, on ability alone, he should be towards the front of any queues for an attacking berth for his country. It is early days, and the debate still needs to tilt further in his favour, but if his eye-catching start to life in Nice goes on, Giampiero Ventura may have to open the door to a recall for the kid who had it all but somehow lost it along the way.

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Balotelli made positive noises in an interview where he said he understood why he was omitted from the current Italy squad and felt it was deserved. “I hope to return very soon, but only at my best,” he insisted.

Ventura’s reaction followed the pattern of managers who have felt compelled to be cautious when it came to the matter of trusting an unpredictable player. “These remain words,” said Ventura. “And I am accustomed to seeing facts. He has a lot of quality, but needs to prove he can play for the team and make the difference within a squad dynamic.”

The wily old coach expects high standards when it comes to conduct. Graziano Pellè was sent home from this World Cup qualification double header after refusing to shake his manager’s hand when he was substituted against Spain, and so left Italy a striker short for Sunday’s game in Macedonia.

Balotelli’s first few weeks in Nice have gone better than almost anyone could have expected. The club had been an excellent choice for Hatem Ben Arfa, another tricky customer who had trouble finding the right environment to express his talent, to relaunch himself. Balotelli flew into Cote d’Azur with his enormous baggage. Was it reasonable to expect another success story in Nice? Not a lot conforms to sound judgment in the world of Balotelli, but he has unpacked, lightened his load, and looks happy again on the field. A goal rush of six from five games has everyone gushing.

If Balotelli’s arrival on transfer deadline day felt like a marriage of convenience, pretty quickly both sides are looking extremely happy with one another. A club on the rise under new ownership have an exciting prize who is headline news. Balotelli is finding his form, behaving well, and ready to challenge deep-set opinions. “He can get back on top of the world,” said the club’s manager, Lucien Favre. “You have to be blind not to see how good he is in front of goal.” There has been variety to his goals too – the trademark cool penalty, a close-range header, the long-range screamer, a powerful run and clinical finish.

Together Nice and Balotelli are top of the table. The club are benefitting not only from his presence on the field, but also from the attention. Their man is a cover story every day. They boast a charismatic personality capable of at least trying to saunter into the Zlatan Ibrahimovic-shaped hole. Publicity-wise, as far as the French league is concerned, what Zlatan taketh away, Super Mario giveth. Balotelli is a big part of the show.

That was crystallised by the reaction to his unfortunate red card having scored a scorching winner against Lorient. A second booking was harsh and the media circus cranked up. Before long the referee released a statement to say he had made a mistake, and even the president of Lyon, who would have benefitted from a banned Balotelli since they meet after the international break, spoke out on the player’s behalf. Balotelli has now had the red card overturned.

It is interesting that, in an echo of his ill-starred move to Liverpool, Balotelli was courted by the men upstairs rather than the head coach. Favre at first seemed as dubious as Brendan Rodgers was when the Italian was delivered to him at Anfield in 2014. Favre’s message was plain at the start: play well and act professional and you can be part of the squad. Play badly and act up and it will not be indulged.

Having had so many false restarts, many were doubtful that this Balotelli would be any different from the player who has drifted to frustrating fringes recently. But so far his attitude has been as impressive as his displays. He is not yet fully fit or fully sharp. Favre hopes there is more to come, with the extra training sessions paying off to make him more rounded than a spearhead who is in the right place to bang in goals right now. “He will get back to his best if he is professional from head to toe,” says the manager.

Italy play Liechtenstein and Germany next month. Balotelli once again has something to aim for.