Brendan Rodgers had a pretty tough time in his final season at Liverpool. After failing to make it to the Champions League, he was sacked just after a few games of the 2015-16 season before Jurgen Klopp was given the task of revitalising the Reds.

The former Swansea manager then took up the job at Celtic where he has led them to the Scottish Premiership title and has kept them unbeaten in the league campaign. Rodgers has also claimed the Scottish League Cup in November and has also put them in the 2017 Scottish Cup Final.

Rodgers though still seems to have a few happy memories from his time at Merseyside and had a cracking response to the question “who is the best player he’s ever coached”?

While many would have suggested the name of Steven Gerrard or Luis Suarez or even Scott Brown, Rodgers opted to name a player that has led to a number of altercations with his previous managers.

According to the Mirror, Brendan Rodgers at the Celtic Player of the Year awards joked: “Mario Balotelli… he was a fantastic player.”

The Italian striker struggled to perform at the Merseyside club and was loaned out after just one season playing for the Reds.

The former AC Milan and Inter Milan striker notched up just one goal in 16 league games for the Reds and was finally sold to Nice, who are having a pretty good season in Ligue 1 as they currently lie third.

Balotelli has scored 14 goals in 21 games for the French side and it seems he has found a club where he doesn’t have to deal with a lot of pressure.

Rodgers, for his part, will be looking to take Celtic to a higher level next season as qualifying from the group stage of the Champions League has to be a target. The Scottish Premiership and cups seem to be a certainty for the Hoops. However, performing well in Europe could lead to Rodgers achieving cult status for Celtic.