Balotelli, a Brazil winger and the bid for Serie D promotion

Balotelli, a Brazil winger and the bid for Serie D promotionImage source, Chievo VeronaImage caption, Douglas Costa, who won 31 caps for Brazil, joined AC Chievo Verona in JanuaryByDaniele VerriItalian football journalistPublished1 minute agoCommentsAC Chievo Verona boast the distinction of being the only club in Italian football to climb every rung of the pyramid to reach Serie A in 2001.The Flying Donkeys, from a small district of Verona, spent 17 out of 18 seasons in the Italian top flight before finishing bottom of Serie A in 2019.Two years later, on the back of financial struggles and tax-related issues following the Covid pandemic, they were expelled from professional football and declared bankrupt.After starting again from the bottom, on Sunday they will look to continue their rise in the Serie D play-offs - doing so with a former Brazil international in their side, one introduced to the club by Mario Balotelli.The club was effectively rescued by Sergio Pellissier, their top scorer, who founded his own club, Clivense, in 2021 and after promotion to Serie D acquired the historic Chievo Verona brand in May 2024.Pellissier remains honorary president and sporting director, leading the club alongside president Pietro Laterza, who also owns Al-Ittifaq, a Dubai-based club playing in the UAE second division and home to Balotelli.The club's ambitions are considerable. Laterza and his staff have invested heavily in infrastructure, acquiring and renovating the Bottagisio training centre, as well as in the squad, which includes young prospects as well as former Serie A players Alberto Paloschi and Daniele Baselli.The icing on the cake, though, was the January signing of 35-year-old former Brazil, Bayern Munich and Juventus winger Douglas Costa."I was about to sign for a South American club and had invited Mario to spend some time with me at the beach in Brazil," Douglas Costa tells BBC Sport."He told me he couldn't because he was travelling to Du...