Mario Balotelli: 'I don't even listen to my parents'

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Mario Balotelli has admitted there are times when he does not even listen to his own parents.

The Manchester City striker is well known for his short fuse and there have been occasions when even manager Roberto Mancini has despaired with him.

To an extent, Balotelli has calmed down recently and could be in line for an FA Cup final starting spot next Saturday if skipper Carlos Tevez loses his fitness fight.

However, attending a charity function with team-mate Patrick Vieira, Balotelli claimed he does take advice -sometimes.

"If you tell me things one or two times, I understand because I am not stupid," he told www.mcfc.co.uk.

"Patrick is one of the people I listen to most here in Manchester but I don't even listen to my parents sometimes."

Balotelli accepts next weekend's Wembley showdown with Stoke may not be quite as straightforward as many City fans hope.

The Blues are looking to end a 35-year trophy drought and, rather than worry about what Tony Pulis' men might do, Balotelli feels City have enough class to concentrate solely on their own performance, no matter what the opposition.

"I have never come up against a team like Stoke before," said the 20-year-old.

"They have a certain way to play and it is really difficult to play against them.

"But the quality of our team is almost the same as Inter Milan and before games at Inter, we always said we only needed to think about us.

"It is the same here. We don't have to think about Stoke, United or Chelsea. We should just stay calm and do our job."