He made two appearances for his native country in 2003, and he has represented the latter national team 30 times since his debut in 2011, scoring once. He represented Italy in the 2014 World Cup and two European Championships, coming second in Euro 2012. Balotelli was born on 4 February 1992 in San Giovanni Di Giulianova, a small town near Bari in the south of Italy. His father, Giuseppe, is an Italian from Puglia while his mother, Monica, is from Sicily. The couple met while playing football for local side Della Valle Rosse during their vacations in Bari. They had three more children: older brother Daniele and younger sister Sara. When Mario was nine years old, the family moved to Manchester where he began his career with Manchester City. His nickname "Mario" was given to him by his father when he was a child. It comes from the Mario character who's main role in most games called Super Mario Bros. is to save Princess Peach from being kidnapped by Bowser. When Mario was 12 years old, his father died during a game with Bari against Parma. After this incident, Mario decided to take up football as a career. He signed with Manchester City at the age of 13 and remained with the club for five years without making a single appearance.