Balotelli threw down his shirt at full-time after putting in a sub-par performance off the bench during a Champions League semi-final first leg game against Barcelona in 2010, an action that caused anger among his own fans.
Materazzi admits he chased down the-then 19-year-old into the dressing room and pressed him against the wall. Both players have often been tagged as 'bad boys' of Italian football.
In an interview via Instagram live, the 2006 World Cup winner recalled the incident, but insists he still loves the former Manchester City man.
Materazzi said: “I gave him a good beating, it’s true. I love Mario, but he really deserved it that day. We’ve become friends again now, practically brothers, but he did something that day that he really should not have done.
“Throwing his shirt to the ground after the final whistle wasn’t even the worst of it. Before the game, on the team bus, he told us: ‘Today I’m going to play badly,’ so I promised to make him pay if he did.”
“When he came off the bench, he tried a shot from midfield rather than go on the counter. Diego Milito wanted to kill him.”
“We believed in Mario, he scored many goals and contributed to the victory, but a week after that, I asked Mourinho to put me against Balotelli in the training ground games between ranks.”
“After a few seconds, I’d send him back to the dressing room.”
“I really loved his father, as after a game with Rubin Kazan he told Mario: ‘I didn’t like your performance, you have to play more for your teammates. And stop going around with girls!’ What an idol.”
