Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli was sprayed with champagne by his friends to celebrate his 25th birthday in the early hours of the morning.

The controversial Italian's future on Merseyside remains up in the air as he was left out of the Reds' pre-season tour and was not included in the squad that sealed a 1-0 win over Stoke City on Sunday.

In a video uploaded onto Balotelli's Instagram page, the striker was sprayed with bottles of champagne by friends in his house after they delivered a rendition of 'Happy Birthday'.

Alongside the clip, Balotelli wrote: "25 #really? #payback thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes."