Johan Cruyff has blamed Mario Balotelli's former clubs for failing to educate the Liverpool striker.
Balotelli, 24, has been in the spotlight for his actions on and off the pitch for several years, while his behaviour has come under renewed scrutiny at the Reds, where he is yet to score in the Premier League following his summer move from AC Milan.
The Italy international, who has also played for Inter Milan and Manchester City, recently made headlines for his late-night partying habits, but Netherlands legend Cruyff feels the player himself is not to blame.
"We always speak about people but I like to speak about the education of people,'' he said. "How have they educated him [Balotelli] in the clubs he has played for? It's too simplistic to say, 'he doesn't behave well.' But one should follow that up with, 'why is that?'
"If it is down to education, how is it possible that he has played for Italian clubs for the past five or six seasons and he doesn't behave well? For me it's the fault of the team not of the person.''
Balotelli made his Serie A debut at the age of 17 with Inter, and three years later moved to City, where former Nerazzurri coach Roberto Mancini had been keen to reunite with him.
However, his poor disciplinary record continued and a bust-up with Mancini led to Balotelli returning to Serie A in January 2013 with Milan, where he scored 30 goals in 54 games.
Cruyff believes these clubs should have taken a firmer stand with the temperamental striker.
"You educate people and if one does not wish to be educated, he doesn't play,'' the former Barcelona coach said. "It's as easy as that. The ones that have made the mistakes are the ones to blame. The mistake is in the roots, not in the final product.''