Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini believes Mario Balotelli could become one of the world's great footballers if he cleaned up his act.
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Balotelli has fallen out of favour at Eastlands this season and finds himself behind Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko in the pecking order.
The controversial striker has also yet to score a Premier League goal in 2012/13 and is struggling to get regular playing time.
"Outside the pitch, Mario is a fantastic guy," Mancini told ESPN.
"Sometimes he doesn't understand what is his job and how his job is important for his life, but I hope for him that he can understand this quickly.
"Now he is 22, but life can go quickly and I hope he can improve everything.
"As a player, he could be like Cristiano and Messi if he understands that, to be like this, you should work hard, your mind should be always on your job and not on the other things that are not important.
"He has everything to be one of the best players in the world. It is not easy to work with him every day, but I hope he can change his mind."
Balotelli was left out for the 5-0 win over Aston Villa at the weekend, and it is unlikely that he will feature in City's must-win UEFA Champions League clash with Real Madrid due to a back injury sustained while on international duty.
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