AC Milan forward Mario Balotelli has said that he wants to use the World Cup as a platform to showcase his talents.

Italy will play England, Uruguay and Costa Rica in next year's tournament and the 23-year-old is keen to make a big impact.

"It is easy to talk about being the best or wanting to be the best, but the best players always perform on the biggest stages," The Sun quotes him as saying.

"Brazil is the perfect time for me to establish myself as the number one striker in the world and the World Cup is where I want to make my mark."

Balotelli has scored 12 goals in his 29 appearances for the Italian national team.