A Champions League finalist with Bayern Leverkusen, a Bundesliga winner with Bayern Munich and the German national team's captain, Michael Ballack was a wanted man back in 2006. During his final season at Munich, the German received interest from several of Europe's top clubs including Manchester United, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. He instead chose Chelsea, joining a midfield that looked formidable on paper with the likes of Michael Essien, Makalele, Lampard, Robben Cole and Duff. His partnership with Lampard was scrutinised from the outset and it proved to be an argument that carried some validity based on the initial performances of the two together. He would establish himself at Chelsea over the next four yeas but would never quite achieve the success that his career promised earlier on. He was part of the side that won the Premier League under Carlo Ancelotti, but was not offered a new contract due to his age. Although he did not suffer as much as others in the list and achieving relative success while at the Bridge, Ballack was plagued by injuries that meant he did not fulfill his full potential.
I’m a 23-year-old journalist having previously produced content for A Stamford Bridge Too Far, The Sun Newspaper and VincoSport. I currently write for Formula One Fancast and What Culture producing weekly blogs and features. I am a co-founder, writer and editor of Tibs News and am a big follower of football, Formula One and combat sports such as MMA, boxing and wrestling.
