 On 26 July, he played his first match of the season in Nice's UEFA Champions League qualifying round first leg, in which he scored in their 1–1 draw against Ajax.Balotelli finished the season with a career-high 18 league goals and a further 8 goals across all other competitions.His strong form earned him a recall to the Italy national team for the first time since the 2014 FIFA World Cup four years prior.