German · Görlitz, Germany · Born 26 September 1976German midfielder who captained Germany to World Cup and European Championship finals, known for his leadership, long-range shooting and commanding presence.
Michael Ballack was born in Görlitz, East Germany in 1976. His career produced four Bundesliga titles, five DFB-Pokals and two Champions League Finals — losing to Real Madrid with Bayer Leverkusen in 2002 and to Manchester United with Chelsea in 2008. He was named German Footballer of the Year six times. He won the World Cup Golden Ball in 2002 as Germany reached the final against Brazil — scoring the semifinal winner against South Korea. Chelsea paid £8 million for him in 2006 as his marquee signing. His combination of physicality, technical skill and goalscoring from deep midfield made him the definitive German midfielder of the 2000s. An ankle injury sustained in the DFB-Pokal Final just days before the 2010 World Cup denied him a final chance at a major international trophy. He led Germany's renaissance as a footballing nation after the flat years of the late 1990s — his leadership bridging the gap between the Matthäus generation and the 2014 World Cup winners.
Leading Germany to three consecutive major tournament finals
How They Played
Box-to-box midfielder with exceptional leadership, aerial ability and long-range shooting
Lasting Impact
One of Germany's greatest midfielders and most successful captain
Career Honours
- Bundesliga 4x
- DFB-Pokal 5x
- Champions League finalist 2x
- World Cup runner-up (2002)
- German Footballer of Year 6x
- Bundesliga 2003
- Bundesliga 2005
- Bundesliga 2006
- DFB-Pokal 2003
- DFB-Pokal 2005
- DFB-Pokal 2008
- FA Cup 2007
- FA Cup 2009
- FA Cup 2010
| Club | Period | Apps | Goals | Shirt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemnitzer FC | 1995–1997 | 58 | 48 | #8 |
| Kaiserslautern | 1997–1999 | 46 | 4 | — |
| Bayern Munich | 2002–2006 | 107 | 44 | — |
| Chelsea | 2006–2010 | 105 | 25 | — |
| BSG Motor Karl-Marx-Stadt | 1983–1995 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 1999–2002 | 79 | 27 | — |
 Germany | — | 98 | 42 | — |
German Athletes