Mario Balotelli joins rest of Liverpool squad in annual Christmas trip to Alder Hey Children's Hospital to play Santa and give out presents

Reds' squad split into five groups to hand out Christmas presents to the children staying at Alder Hey

The entire Liverpool squad pictured alongside Brendan Rodgers and two young boys at Alder Hey Children's Hospital (Getty Images)

Mario Balotelli may be struggling to score any goals for Liverpool, but he’s found the back of the net when it comes to Christmas gestures after he and the rest of the Liverpool squad took to a hospital in Liverpool to give out presents to the sick children.

Complete with a Santa Claus hat, this is certainly one of the stories that Balotelli can be proud to confirm given the number of false and alleged rumours that do the rounds when the Italian’s name is brought up.

The entire squad attended the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital as captain Steven Gerrard led the way to help spread the season of good cheer, and the team split into five groups to ensure that every child was visited and delivered their very own present.

The former England skipper said: “I have been visiting Alder Hey for many years now and it is such a special place. Our visit is always a day of mixed emotions but it's always nice to meet the children and their families and create as many smiles as we can.

“It's important to the players and the club to give something back and provide positivity to our young fans, many of whom are facing tough times.”

Fans of the club will hope that the smiles created will help inspire the team and produce a much-needed victory against bitter rivals Manchester United on Sunday. Three points would help get Brendan Rodgers’ side back on track in their battle for a top four position, and a win over United would help dispel the memory of crashing out of the Champions League on Tuesday via the 1-1 draw with Basel.

Adam Lallana, Steven Gerrard, Jose Enrique and Mario Balotelli (Getty Images)

Joe Allen, Alberto Moreno, Javier Manquillo, Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho during the Alder Hey Children's Hospital visit (Getty Images)

Mario Balotelli, Steven Gerrard, Adam Lallana and Jose Mourinho during the Alder Hey Children's Hospital visit (Getty Images)

Martin Skrtel and Lucas Leiva pictured with a young girl at Alder Hey Children's Hospital (Getty Images)

But with all attentions on the annual trip to Alder Hey, Rodgers took time out to explain what a “privilege” it is to him and the players in that they are able to visit the hospital each year and give a boost to those who need it the most at this time of year.

“Our Christmas visits to Alder Hey are always very special and memorable. It's a privilege for the team to have the opportunity to meet with the children and their families to show their support.

“It's great that our visit can bring so much happiness to those that need a little lift, which is very important to me, the players and the club.”

Mario Balotelli meets Santa Claus (Getty Images)

There was even a comical meeting between Balotelli and Santa Claus, with the striker looking overjoyed - though whether he has been well behaved this year remains to be seen.