EPL, Premiership, English Premier League

In 2002, after a superb performance in the World Cup in which he carried Germany to the finals, Ballack joined Bayern Munich from Bayer Leverkusen for a €12.9 million deal. (In 2002 and 2003 Ballack was given the German Football Player of the Year; in 2002 he also received the UEFA midfielder of the Year and the Soccer Digest World Player of the Year.)

Ballack agreed to join Chelsea from Bayern Munchen in May of 2006 despite rumors that Manchester United, Real Madrid and AC Milan were interested in him. Soon after he began playing with Chelsea, Ballack obtained an ankle injury and was unable to play for 8 months. When he did play, he wasn’t in form and produced few results. His recent transfer to a new club in a different nation raised speculations as to whether he could adapt to the pace and style of the EPL. This, and the fact that he arrived at Chelsea around the same time as Andriy Shevchenko; with both players playing poorly and digging into Chelsea finances, many fans thought that Chelsea was just being used as a retirement for older stars. Though Ballack was signed on as a free transfer from Bayern, his €120,000 a week salary has earned him over €10 million since he transferred. Many wondered if Chelsea had spent a pretty penny on a star midfield who was past his prime. However, during the 2007/2008 season Chelsea experienced a series of injuries with Terry, Drogba, and Lampard all out; Ballack took the opportunity and stepped up. He began to dominate the midfield and score the important goals that fans expected of him. Once Lampard recovered from his injury the two seemed to work well together. “You have the feeling you’ve become a forgotten man and you have to start again from scratch after your return from a long injury. There is a need to prove yourself all over again, but all the frustration is history now and I can look forward with confidence.” The German International seems to finally have found his form at Chelsea, almost two years after he transferred from Bayern Munchen.

“I knew I would not be certain of a place in the side when I returned from injury. When you are at a big club like Chelsea and the competition for places is always so hot, the only answer is to deliver consistently and I’m confident I am up to the task. I’m pleased Avram Grant is putting his faith in me.” Avram Grant recently gave Ballack the Captains band when Terry was out with an injury increasing his confidence in his abilities.

“Naturally I’m very pleased with the way my return to the first team has gone. It makes all the difference in the world that I stepped into a side in an excellent run of form. From day one, it felt so good to be back and I’ve been fortunate to score a few important goals. Even though I’m not sure about my match fitness percentage-wise, I’m feeling stronger physically and mentally every day. I think the bad days are behind me now.”