As Mario Balotelli sat on the bench having been substituted during AC Milan's 3-1 defeat away at Napoli on Saturday night, the television cameras suddenly panned to the Italian striker, who was crying.

A number of reasons have circulated as to why the 23-year-old was upset, from frustration at being replaced to racist abuse from the home supporters, although nothing has been confirmed as yet.

The former Manchester City maverick is not the first footballer to have a shed a tear in the full glare of the fans and cameras, though. With that in mind, Sports Mole has picked out five other situations within the game that have evoked sobbing.

1. John Terry
The Chelsea captain was visibly distressed by England's exit from the 2006 World Cup in Germany, but it's the tears in a rainy Moscow two years later that everyone remembers. Terry had the chance to clinch the Champions League trophy for his club with their fifth penalty in the shootout, but he slipped and saw the ball cannon wide off the post. Manchester United eventually won through 7-6, which sparked an outpouring of emotion from the Blues defender.

2. Jose Mourinho, Marco Materazzi
Mourinho is known to have a strong bond with a number of his players from each of the clubs that he has managed, but perhaps none are as big as the one that he shares with Materazzi. Having guided Inter Milan to a treble of trophies with success in the 2010 Champions League final, Real Madrid-bound Mourinho spotted the Italian defender stood against a wall as his car left the Bernabeu. He stopped, got out of the vehicle and hugged the defender before crying uncontrollably.

3. David Beckham
When an injured Beckham limped off during England's World Cup quarter-final defeat to Portugal in 2006, he knew that his time as captain of the Three Lions was coming to an end. It was a scenario that prompted tears on the bench and more were shed when he made the announcement that he was to step down as skipper a few days later.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo
Like Terry, Ronaldo cried at the conclusion of the 2008 Champions League final, but his were more of relief. He saw his penalty saved by Petr Cech, but the Portugal international was bailed out by his Man United teammates. Instead of celebrating, Ronaldo fell to the floor and balled his eyes out. He has previous history in this area as well, having sobbed after the Portuguese national side lost the 2004 European Championships final on home soil to Greece and when United were beaten by Arsenal in the 2005 FA Cup final. Winning the FIFA Ballon d'Or last month following four years of Lionel Messi domination also saw the 29-year-old well up.

5. Paul Gascoigne
Perhaps the most famous tears ever shed by an England international footballer. While Gary Lineker was England's main threat during the 1990 World Cup, Gascoigne was their talisman in the midfield. He went into the semi-final with West Germany knowing that he was a booking away from being suspended for the final. So, when he fouled Thomas Berthold and the yellow card was brandished, Gazza's bottom lip wobbled and the tears started to flow. It prompted Lineker to utter the famous "have a word with him" line to manager Bobby Robson. It was ultimately irrelevant, anyway, because England were eventually knocked out on penalties.