The enigma of Mauro Icardi: The player the world loves to hate

The striker finds himself at a crossroads in his career and must straighten up his act to earn the big move to one of Europe's elite.

Earlier in June, when Argentina announced their squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, questions were asked regarding the exclusion of one of their most prolific strikers, Mauro Icardi. The 25-year-old, who plays for Italian club Inter Milan, was expected by many, to make it to the final 23-man World Cup squad. Apparently, manager Jorge Sampaoli decided to have faith in Argentine club Boca Juniors’ young forward, Cristian Pavon, instead.

In the last couple of seasons, Icardi has grasped the attention of many top European clubs including Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool, for his outstanding performances at Inter. Under his captaincy, the Nerazzurri secured a spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League by finishing fourth in Serie A. Icardi also jointly holds the Capocannoniere (Golden Boot), alongside Lazio’s Ciro Immobile, for scoring 29 goals in the league.

Watch: All 29 goals scored by Mauro Icardi during the 2017-18 Serie A season

Despite his great form, the player has repeatedly been left out from the national team and hhas been seemingly passed on Europe's bigwigs. Reports state that the reason behind his exclusion from the squad  came as a consequence of his off-field antics. Time and again, he has been involved in controversies leading the fans and other critics ranting against him.

The player was heavily criticised after he married Wanda Nara, ex-wife of his fellow countryman and former Sampdoria teammate, Maxi Lopez. Since then, Lopez has twice refused to shake hands with Icardi when their respective sides met in Serie A. Incidents like these have seen Icardi entering the bad books of Sampdoria as well as Argentina fans.

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For instance, earlier this year, retired Argentine legend Diego Maradona took to Twitter and ridiculed the player for his off-field actions. ‘Icardi doesn’t know anything, what he does know is to go to his friend’s house and eat out,’ stated Maradona as he put forth his opinion to drop Icardi and put Gonzalo Higuain in his place in the World Cup squad. Some reports also state that the player’s exclusion from the squad was because he does not get along with star forward Lionel Messi.

It is disheartening to see an outstanding talent like Icardi not utilized to his full potential. His excellent finishing skills and overall playing attributes make him perfectly suitable to play at the highest levels of European football. Yet his personal issues have affected his on-field career for years now.

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Inter are a great club, but with such potential, Icardi deserves to be at a better club which plays Champions League football more regularly. In his 159 appearances for the club, the striker has scored 100 goals in all competitions which is an exemplary goals-to-games ratio, especially considering his young age.

However, At 25, Icardi is at a bit of a crossroads. If given the opportunity, he could go on to become one of the most dangerous strikers in the world. But, first he has to ensure that he continues his good run of form in next season. Who knows, a big move might just be on the table. If not, it would be a shame to see him finish as a story of 'what could have been.’