AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli believes that he would be treated differently by people if he were white.
The controversial Italian international has been the victim of racial abuse numerous times throughout his high-profile career.
Most recently, the 23-year-old was abused by a group of youths at a pre-World Cup training camp near Florence.
In an interview with GQ magazine, Balotelli said: "These stupid people, they get angry with me, they say horrible things, but I haven't done anything different from other people.
"I have made mistakes, like everyone does, and I have always paid for my mistakes. I think that if I was white maybe some people would still find me irritating or annoying but it wouldn't be the same. Absolutely not.
"Jealousy is a horrible thing, but when this jealousy is towards people who are different from the majority, and who maybe also have more than you, then it becomes anger, it becomes rage, and that's the overt racism."
Balotelli's interview will appear in the July edition of the magazine.
