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Are the Italians celebrating already? Boss Prandelli salutes Super Mario ahead of final
Posted Saturday, June 30, 2012 by Dailymail

Are the Italians celebrating already? Boss Prandelli salutes Super Mario ahead of final

Are the Italians celebrating already? Boss Prandelli salutes Super Mario ahead of final
Beer o'clock: Cesare Prandelli enjoys a drink at a press conference

Are the Italians celebrating already? Boss Prandelli salutes Super Mario ahead of final

Prandelli says he is enjoying the challenge of coaching Manchester City's temperamental striker.

There had been doubts before the tournament about whether Balotelli - previously dropped by Prandelli due to his disciplinary record on and off the pitch - would make the final squad and several pundits have questioned whether he is worth the trouble of managing him.

'I have coached Adriano, (Adrian) Mutu, (Antonio) Cassano and Balotelli,' Prandelli said.
'They are difficult to manage but it's more fascinating.

'In the end, they are more faithful than those (players) who think they are a champions when they aren't.

'They are players that have quality and make you win.'

Prandelli heaped praise on Balotelli, who turned in his best performance of the competition so far in the semi-final.

Balotelli, playing in his first major tournament, had not impressed in the Azzurri's group games in Poland and Ukraine although he did score against the Republic of Ireland.

However, he stole the limelight in Warsaw.

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Standings
    Rank Team W/D/L Pts

    Cities & Stadiums

    The Top 3 Teams of Previous Tournaments

    Year Winners Runner-up Third place
    2008SpainGermanyRussia / Turkey
    2004GreecePortugalNetherlands / Czech Republic
    2000FranceItalyNetherlands / Portugal
    1996GermanyCzech RepublicFrance / England
    1992DenmarkGermanyNetherlands / Sweden
    1988NetherlandsSoviet UnionItaly / West Germany
    1984FranceSpainDenmark / Portugal
    1980West GermanyBelgiumCzechoslovakia
    1976CzechoslovakiaWest GermanyNetherlands
    1972West GermanySoviet UnionBelgium
    1968ItalyYugoslaviaEngland
    1964SpainSoviet UnionHungary
    1960Soviet UnionYugoslaviaCzechoslovakia