House blaze makes Balotelli bonfire mascot

The 30ft effigy is the second footballer to be chosen by Edenbridge Bonfire Society. Wayne Rooney was burned at the stake at last year’s event.

Jon Mitchell, a committee member of the Kent-based society, said it had been difficult to come up with someone foolish enough to take the honour of being the guy this year.

He said: “We’d been watching politicians and celebrities but no-one had done anything really stupid. We chose Balotelli because he made a bit of a fool of himself a few weeks ago by setting his house alight with fireworks.

“He’s now capitalising on his little disaster as he’s joined the campaign for firework safety so we fully support him on that.”

The giant model of Italian Balotelli is dressed in his light blue Manchester City strip and is holding a model of a house in one hand and a giant rocket in the other.

His shirt bears the words “Why always me?” – he wore a top with the same words on it in a game against Manchester United.

Mr Mitchell said the plan was for the rocket and house to be set on fire before the rest of the guy goes up in flames on Saturday night.

About 20,000 people are expected at the spectacle, which raises money for local charities.

Two fire engines went to Balotelli’s Cheshire home on October 22 to tackle the incident in a first-floor bathroom.