Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack
Michael Ballackis a retired German footballer. He is among the top goal scorers in the history of the German national team. Ballack wore the number 13 shirt for every team he has played for except for Kaiserslautern. He was selected by Pelé as one of FIFA's 125 Greatest Living Players, and as the UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year in 2002. He won the German Footballer of the Year award three times – in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Ballack was...
ProfessionSoccer Player
Date of Birth26 September 1976
CityGorlitz, Germany
serious signed
I am in serious negotiations with Chelsea. Nothing is signed yet, but I know what I want.
european thinking
Right now, I am thinking only about the European Championship,
decided serious signed talks
Nothing has been decided yet and nothing signed but I'm in serious talks with Chelsea.
decision
Then there was the decision about transferring to Bayern,
broke goal played tension tough
It was very tough at the start. The first goal broke the tension and we played well after that.
compact game normal shooting strength win
It's not so important if I get into a shooting position. Our strength is the defense, that's where we have to win balls. We have to play our normal game, be very compact in midfield. That's our game and that's what we do best.
anyone good nor spoke spoken
I spoke with Bayern and it was a good discussion. That is where things stand. I haven't spoken with anyone else, nor do I want to.
bad game pressure
This is like a game we have to win. The pressure has risen, which I think is not a bad thing.
expecting
It's all or nothing, but that's what we've been expecting all along.
criticism defeat handle learn players saw slovakia
The 2-0 defeat by Slovakia saw the players come in for criticism and the young players need to learn how to handle it,
club decision extend great offers possible turned
Bayern is a great club that offers all possibilities. I haven't made a decision yet, that's all, and I think it's understandable. It's an important decision in my life. I feel well in Munich. It's possible that I extend the contract. I never turned Bayern down.
clubs dream foreign mine pressure staying talk time
Foreign clubs can't talk to me before then. It's been a dream of mine to play abroad. But staying in Bayern is also possible. I don't want to put myself under any time pressure and I didn't want any deadlines.
atmosphere confidence cup decisive essential game self success
It's a decisive game for our self confidence and for the atmosphere in the country. It's essential that we go into our World Cup preparations experiencing success and not having everyone questioning our abilities.
cup decisive mood successful
It's a decisive game. Not just for us but also for the mood of the country. It's important going into the World Cup that we get a successful result.