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06. 09. 12. - 12:00

Balotelli's ex praying in Medjugorje

Croatian Times

The mum-to-be of Premiership star Mario Balotelli's baby has followed his Manchester City boss to pray for a miracle at a holy shrine.

Model Raffaella Fico, 24, made a pilgrimage to the Croat population village of Medjugorje, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where a group of "seers" claim to have had visions of the Virgin Mary.

Raffaella - who says striker Balotelli is the father of the baby she's expecting in December - visited the shrine with her mother to pray.

"If she's praying for a reconciliation, that might be beyond even God's powers. Mario thinks she's playing games with him and the baby," said one mutual friend.

Earlier this year Man City boss Roberto Mancini visited the shrine twice - once to pray before his team won the Premiership title, and a second time to give thanks.

Last month Raffaella accused Balotelli of stalking her with abusive phone calls in the middle of the night.

The couple had dated for a year but split up in April after a furious doorstep bust-up involving the police.

In July the former lingerie model had revealed she was pregnant by Balotelli - but he demanded a DNA test to prove he was the father.

Then last month Rafaella told local media in Italy: "I just want to ask Mario Balotelli to stop calling me in the middle of the night.

"I want this to be a calm, tranquil pregnancy. I thought he was calling me to find out how I was but he shouted and called me names."

"He was trying to stress me psychologically. He wants to stalk me. All I ask of him is respect, at least for the sake of our baby."

"Mario must have called me over 30 times. I thought he was calling to find out how I was, but he shouted and called me names," she added.

Medjugorje is considered one of the most holy shrines in the world and has been visited by more than 30 million pilgrims since the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to six school children in 1981.

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