The Italian striker and the French club have declined rapidly in recent seasons. Will their partnership put a stop to that or pour fuel on the fire?
"I want to answer back, or just slam him up against the wall or leave him hanging by his collar on the coat rack."
Patrick Vieira didn't give L'Equipe the most glowing reference for Mario Balotelli in December, and it didn't get much better for the Italian when his former Nice manager revealed he was late and overweight for training in the summer.
However, despite his relationship with the ex-Arsenal midfielder continuing to break down, the striker was still able to land himself a move to another Ligue 1 club - sigining for Marseille last week.