Mario Balotelli battles for daughter's custody with ex

Mario Balotelli is fighting a custody battle with his former lover Rafaella Fico over his 18-month-old daughter Pia.

The 23-year-old AC Milan star, who accepted to be the toddler's father only after DNA results proved it in February, took a break from his preparing for this summer's World Cup and was spotted in an Italian court, fighting the 26-year-old beauty for the right to visit his daughter, the Daily Star reported.

Balotelli had held his daughter for the first time only in April after a judge granted him special permission, and his lawyer Alessandra Capuano told Corriere della Sera that they are trying to find a way so that both parents can fully collaborate.

Earlier, Balotelli had refused to meet Pia until it was proven that she was his daughter despite his former girlfriend's appeal on social media, and has said in his defense that it wasn't right to accept if he wasn't sure of being the father, as children must not be disappointed by adults who then disappear.