Yet in team sports such as football, where matches are invariably decided by a moment of genius or a dreadful blunder, they are more common than most.

Balotelli indeed belongs to a club of players stretching back generations, with Zlatan Ibrahimović, Paul Gascoigne, Diego Maradona, George Best and Garrincha among other noteworthy members.

But in the ruthlessly professional age of sport today where everything is choreographed and regulated, it is arguable that mavericks are a dying breed.

The decision to omit another Manchester City star in Samir Nasri from France's final World Cup squad certainly suggested this, with French coach Didier Deschamps concluding that Nasri's undoubted footballing talent was outweighed by the adverse effects of his presence.

When at a press briefing to unveil the new British Cycling Performance Pathway last month, a system based on fulfilling scrupulously formidable physical and mental standards every year, there was one question which appeared to rattle the officials present.

"What happens to those that don't meet certain standards but are still hugely talented, the unorthodox ones?"

The case of Dan Martin suggests not too much. A Birmingham-born climbing specialist who was abandoned by the track-focused British in the early-2000s, Martin instead took up Irish citizenship and has gone on to become a leading rider on the professional road circuit who won stage nine of last year's Tour de France.

In recent weeks this has been seen again with the, still unconfirmed, non-selection of Sir Bradley Wiggins for next month's edition of the Tour. Although brilliant, Sir Bradley is a wildcard, a maverick who cannot be relied upon to following the rules, and particularly those of his bitter rival and teammate Chris Froome.

Sir Bradley Wiggins (right) is one so called maverick individual who has missed out in favour of a more reliable teammate ©Getty Images


For a team which like to control all of the variables just like they control the pace of the peloton, this has been deemed acceptable and the 2012 champion seems certain to miss out on selection for the second successive year. Some believe that the team have an obligation to select all of their star names for the benefit of the spectators, but to Team Sky their only obligation is to win the race for the third year in a row.

Another great example of how, or how not, to accommodate a maverick figure in a team comes in cricket with English batsman Kevin Pietersen.

Like Sir Bradley, Pietersen has always had a knack for winding up his teammates as well as his rivals, but was invariably accommodated in the team due to his frequent ability to play world-class and match-winning innings. But in 2012 things came to a head in a series against his birth-country South Africa. After hitting a trademark century in the second test, it was alleged Pietersen had sent defamatory text messages about his teammates to several South African opponents, and he was dropped in the "best interests" of the team after refusing to apologise.

Although the 33-year-old was subsequently "reintegrated" into the team, he was dropped again and later announced his international retirement in the wake of England's 5-0 Ashes humiliation in Australia last winter.

It had been decided once and for all the team were better off without rather than with their most talented, yet divisive, player.

When considering Kevin Pietersen, selectors had to balance his match-winning genius with his divisive personality ©Getty Images



So a similar decision to the one taken by Deschamps before the World Cup. Although the decision to omit Nasri seems to have been greeted with almost unanimous approval in France, for me it was strange because Nasri has not been a controversial figure at either Arsenal or Manchester City in the many years he has spent with them in the Premier League.

So is it the treatment of the maverick player by the coach that is key?

This was certainly suggested by Ibrahimović in his hugely entertaining autobiography I am Zlatan, which outlines every distinguishable characteristic of a truly maverick player. The Swede reaps praise on some managers he played under, such as Fabio Capello and Jose Mourinho, who managed to control and coax the best out of him with a disciplinarian approach, but was scathing of others, notably Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola, after they proved unable to do this.

It is a matter of opinion whether it is the responsibility of managers to resolve these situations or the responsibility of players to fit in and behave themselves no matter what.

But despite the best efforts of bodies like British Cycling, it is hard to see maverick players being eradicated from professional sport completely. For me, it remains the ultimate challenge to harness their talents and, if done correctly, the benefits will come with more goals such as Balotelli's beautifully headed winner against England.

And, perhaps more than everything else, their presence alongside blander and more media-savvy teammates adds to the excitement for us spectators, and increases the unpredictable and dramatic nature of sport today.

Nick Butler is a reporter for insidethegames. To follow him on Twitter click here.