With 1,600 jerseys bearing his name sold since Sept. 1, Ligue 1 side OGC Nice striker Mario Balotelli’s career is in “full resurrection on the field” and "he is the star of the club store," according to the AFP. The club is selling a Balotelli jersey “every 20 minutes.” Club Merchandising Dir Richard Elkaïm said that at the beginning, the club “almost sold out of the Italian’s jersey” with “only a few sizes left” for several days. Elkaïm said, “We sell 80-100 jerseys on certain days, especially matchdays. Balotelli is our clear leader, obviously, but the entire team is on fire and has had a great start to the season. We don’t only sell SuperMario.” Nice expects to sell up to 15,000 jerseys by the end of the season -- "close to double that of last season (8,500)." The club announced that jersey sales have increased 20% compared to the same time last season (AFP, 9/23). SPORTBUZZ BUSINESS' Alexandre Bailleul reported at the end of last week, Nice launched its Italian Twitter account, an “obligation” for a club that has seen an “increasing demand by trans-alpine media and fans since the arrival of Mario Balotelli” (SPORTBUZZ BUSINESS, 9/26).
