Mario Balotelli pranked Man City’s photographer by swiping her lens hood and walking away

Despite some good chances, Mario Balotelli failed to score in his brief appearance as a second-half substitute during Man City's 3-2 comeback win against Southampton to start the Premier League season. Balotelli is recovering from conjunctivitis, so a bit of rust on the pitch is understandable, but he showed that his pranking is already in midseason form.

When Mario walked through the tunnel after the final whistle (or maybe at halftime?), he gave a row of waiting kids high fives and then grabbed the camera of Man City's official photographer, Sharon Latham. She was kneeling down taking pictures when Mario tried to swipe the camera, so fighting him off was difficult, but she managed to hold on. Mario then settled for removing the camera's lens hood and disappearing through the doors towards the dressing room.

She didn't really give chase and Mario didn't seem to be in a rush to return it. But, since it was Mario, he probably gave it a thorough cleaning and returned it to her in a fish tank filled with koi.

Previously in Mario Balotelli pranks: Mario scares a Man City employee and Mario hits camera with a no-look shot