Mario Balotelli has ordered a statue of himself, according to reports in Italy. The sculpture will be on display at his home in the Italian city of Brescia.

Livio Scarpella, a local artist who says he has received the commission, told the local newspaper, Il Giornale di Brescia, that Balotelli wanted to be “immortalised in the pose after a goal: muscles in evidence and an expression to challenge the opponents.”

Italian media expect the pose in question will be the famous celebration of his goal in the Euro 2012 semi-final (above), against Germany, when the striker removed his shirt before standing still with muscles flexed, staring at the crowd.

Scarpella said, “I received the commission, but have never actually met Balotelli, so I am working from photographs. I imagined him as an athlete from ancient times. The statue will be between the classic and pop style, in platinum and coloured bronze with the eyes made of precious stones.”

The striker has long been known for his eccentric behaviour, with his legend growing by the month during his time at Manchester City as stories - both fact and fiction - were told about his activities away from the field.

Balotelli has been in excellent form since his return to Italy, scoring four goals in his first three games and receiving praise for the positive effect he has had on the Milan side.

The Italian international was recently fined €10,000 for an offensive gesture made towards Inter fans, following last Sunday’s Milan derby. He made the gesture after the game, in retaliation to racist abuse from the Inter fans. However, despite the fine, he was praised by managers of both sides for maintaining his composure during the game and not reacting to the racist attacks from the stands. A section of Inter fans had racially abused Balotelli, including several who waved inflatable bananas at the former Inter player. Inter were fined €50,000 for the behaviour of their fans.

Balotelli played for Inter for four years, however he became a hated figure of the club’s fans as he admitted his support for bitter rivals Milan. In one of his most infamously poorly judged moves he once wore the red and black shirt of Milan on Italian TV, while an Inter player. He further enraged the supporters of Inter as he threw the club shirt to the ground when substituted during a Champions League game in 2010.