There are news stories that seem to be invented by a particularly inspired satirical author. Instead, they are true. The mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, busy preparing the city for the onslaught of the World Cup starting on June 11, has decided to rely not on Lincoln or Churchill, nor even Roosevelt. He chose Mario Balotelli. Yes, him. Super Mario. The man who for years caused more discussion than his goals, the champion of controversies, provocations, and phrases destined to become legend. One above all: «When I score, I don’t celebrate because I’m just doing my job. Does a postman celebrate when he delivers a letter?». A remark that at the time made many smile and irritated others, but which contained an elementary truth: doing one’s duty should not be considered a miracle. The first citizen of the Big Apple reiterated this pearl of wisdom during a press conference dedicated to the organization of the event to explain that he does not intend to pop bottles if New York manages to host the World Cup as planned, without incidents, without chaos, and without traffic paralysis. «Will we celebrate? No. We will simply be doing our job», he declared. Translated: no self-celebration, no catwalks, no triumphant selfies. Or at least that’s the promise. Thus, in the heart of America, while millions of fans prepare to invade the stadiums and the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium promises to paralyze the planet’s attention, the mayor of the most important city in the United States relies on Balotelli’s existential philosophy. In other times, it would have seemed like cabaret material.
REVOLUTIONARY LESSON
It is true that we are used to administrators who inaugurate a bench as if they had built the Suez Canal, who cut a ribbon and behave like Christopher Columbus after the discovery of America. In this sense, Balotelli’s lesson appears almost revolutionary. But behind the joke about the controversial enfant prodige of Italian football (today, at 35, in the second division in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates) there is something more. There is an attempt to show the image of an efficient, pragmatic, almost working-class city government administrator.
It’s a pity that the modesty of the New York mayor ends exactly where official celebrations begin. On the same days he was explaining that he didn’t want to be applauded for doing his duty, Mamdani was receiving the Turrita d’Oro from Bologna, one of the highest city honors, like a political star from across the Atlantic. And here the ball gives way to ideology.
Far from moderation, the mayor of the Big Apple, in thanking, did not limit himself to a polite «thank you». He took the opportunity to launch an international political manifesto. «With authoritarianism growing worldwide, we must be united in our common goal of a supportive, competent, and proudly left-wing government», he proclaimed. Words that sounded like music in Bologna. Translated: when it comes to organizing the World Cup, no celebrations; when it comes to receiving awards and dispensing ideological lessons, sobriety can wait.
Moreover, the bond between comrade Mamdani and Bologna certainly does not stem from football. It stems from a shared passion for a certain idea of public administration. The American mayor, in fact, praised not only the mayor Matteo Lepore but also the tradition of the Bolognese left, from Francesco Zanardi to Giuseppe Dozza up to Renato Zangheri, even citing free public transport as a model to follow. From the Bologna of cooperatives to progressive New York, the red thread is clearly visible.
BOLOGNESE POLITICAL CULTURE
After all, Bologna remains one of the few cities in the world where communism is recounted with the same nostalgia with which the glories of the Roman Empire are remembered elsewhere. In the meantime, however, the real news remains another. In 2026, just days before the start of the world’s most important sporting event, the most lucid thought heard from an American politician does not come from Harvard, Yale, or some expensive think tank. It comes from Mario Balotelli. And this, more than a victory for politics, seems like a defeat for politics itself.
