The German National Football Team is missing their biggest offensive option Michael Ballack in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, after a foul by Kevin Prince-Boateng sent him to the sidelines with an injury. He was temporarily replaced by Philipp Lahm as the captain of the team that won the third place in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. As one of Germany’s Key players, Ballack’s presence will sure be missed by his team.
Ballack in an interview said that he was really angry that he was robbed of his last chance to play in the most prestigious tournament in the sporting world. But, he accepts the fact that football is just like that. He is currently enjoying the number 6 rank in Germany’s history books in most number of caps with 98 and 7th in goal scoring with 42 successful conversions. He was the captain of Germany’s National Team for more than 55 matches already.
Ballack used to play for Chelsea as the team’s midfield general until he became a free agent just this year. Pele included him in his selection for the FIFA’s Top 100 Living Football Players alongside great midfielders Diego Maradona and Zinedine Zidane. Individual awards also flooded this guy’s name as he was awarded the 2002 UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year and bagged the German Footballer of the Year title for 3 years.
He began training at the age of seven when his family moved from East Germany to Chemnitz. His main asset was his ability to profusely use both of his feet, along with his incredible dribbling fashion. Ballack later on signed with Kaiserslautern and made his debut with the team against Bayer Leverkusen. He played well for Kaiserslaustern before moving to Bayer Leverkusen after accepting the €4.1 million contract offered to him. Ballack blossomed with this team and made a name for himself in the world of football.
Ballack was also a member of Germany’s National Team that competed in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. They were able to reach the Finals that year but they were eventually defeated by Brazil and settled for the runner-up trophy. He also had a stellar performance in the 2006 World Cup in their home soil but they failed to reach the finals after losing in their semifinal clash.
His performance in the 2002 FIFA World Cup caught the attention of giant European Teams. Real Madrid tried to acquire him but he turned down their offer and signed a €12.9 million contract with Bayern Munich. In his first season with the team, Ballack played a big role as they snatch the title in the Bundesliga and the German Cup. He amassed a total of 3 Bundesliga title with this team ruling the 2004, 2005, and 2006 Seasons of the tournament. Intrigues surrounded his career when Bayern decided to move him to Chelsea in a free transfer.
Ballack won several titles with Chelsea. They ruled the FA Cup for three times and also bagged the title in the 2007 Football League Cup, 2009 FA Community Shield, and the 2010 Premier League.
Without their original commander, the German team marched down to South Africa and kicked off their 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign against the Australian National Team. His team overpowered the Aussies in a resounding 4-0 victory. Germany’s four goals were nailed by Man of the Match Lukas Podolski, Thomas Mueller, Misrolav Klose and Cacau.
However, Germany dropped their second match of the 2010 World Cup losing against Serbia 1-0. Serbian Milan Jovanovic scored the lone goal of the match. Despite that defeat, National Coach Joachim Low and the rest of the German Team remain as one of the contenders in this year’s and losing Michael Ballack will be one the key factors in their upcoming games.