Balotelli is overrated, says Camoranesi

Former Italy international Mauro Camoranesi has taken aim at Mario Balotelli and claimed the striker is "overrated".

Balotelli has come in for criticism in the wake of Italy's exit from the World Cup, with their failure to advance from Group D resulting in the resignation of coach Cesare Prandelli.

Azzurri midfielder Daniele De Rossi also appeared to criticise Balotelli following their 1-0 defeat to Uruguay on Tuesday.

Balotelli took to his Instagram account on Wednesday to reply to the criticism, insisting he "gave his all" for his country.

However, Camoranesi – a World Cup winner in 2006 – believes the 23-year-old is not working hard enough as he joined the list of disgruntled Italians voicing their displeasure with the striker.

"I firmly believe Balotelli is a very overrated player, both by the media and those who train him," said Camoranesi, who earned 55 caps for Italy between 2003 and 2010.

"It really infuriates me to see someone on the pitch who isn't working as hard as he ought to. I really don't know what his problem is.”

The former midfielder has also urged Balotelli to realise his limitations and learn from his errors on the pitch.

"I would've liked to play like Luis Figo, but I became aware of my own limitations. Every now and then I did something stupid too, but I learned from my mistakes."