Italian striker Mario Balotelli has come under fire after posting a controversial image on his Instagram.

Latest social media play by Mario Balotelli. #instagram #Balotelli pic.twitter.com/CBhNaRO2gd

— Josh Feldberg (@JoshFeldberg) July 11, 2014

Balotelli was criticised for his underwhelming performance in this years World Cup. He scored only one goal during his time in the tournament.

The former Manchester City player posted the picture of himself wielding a shotgun on his Instagram along with the caption "kiss to all the haters". 

The 23 year old striker is now with Italian club AC Milan, but his future at the club has been debated after the departure of Milan's boss Clarence Seedorf.

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani was not impressed by the post, but says there is little they can do to control the actions of their players.

"In contracts it's written what players can and cannot do, but we can't do anything regarding their private lives. We do it vocally but that's not enough," Galliano told Yahoo News.

The image has since been deleted from Balotelli's account.