Biography of Michael Ballack

The column in the Center

September 26, 1976 The future star of German football and world Michael Ballack was born on September 26, 1976 in the city of Gorlitz. He began his playing career at Chemnitzer; then goes to Kaiserslautern and Bayer Leverkusen. With Leverkusen is real motivator and brings the team to the 2002 Champions League final. His breakthrough first played for the national football number 13 dates back to April 28, 1999 (Germany-Scotland). At the World Championships in Korea and Japan of 2002 performance of Ballack are excellent: against the odds drags the team in the final. He is the architect of the victory over the United States in the quarter-finals and against South Korea (which eliminated Italy) in the semifinals. In the semifinals, however, comes the big disappointment: just a few minutes remaining Ballack commits a foul tactics and receives a yellow card that forces him to give up the final against Brazil. In 2002 he moved to Bayern Munich: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Bayern's leader and champion Inter Milan in the years ' 80, emphasizing the pure talent of Ballack will come to define it as the "most prolific midfielder in the world". In four years at Bayern, Ballack leads the team to victory in three Championships and three cups of Germany. He's the linchpin of that team, which completed in Germany twice the League and Cup. In the 2004/05 Championship was not only essential to the final victory of Bayern; even its high yield got a prestigious award: third straight title of best player of the year, only one less than the "Kaiser" Franz Beckenbauer. Before the end of the 2006 Championship, which precedes the world flat, Ballack announces his passage to England, to Chelsea. Ballack will try to carve out a place in a midfield already composed of great players such as Frank Lampard (England), Claude Makelele (France) and Michael Essien (Ghana), all protagonists long-awaited German Championship that sees Ballack Germany among the favourites to conquer the title. The team will host the semifinals with Italy by Marcello Lippi, who would become world champion against France. Michael Ballack, 189 centimetres to 80 kilograms, he is the father of three children, Louis, Emilio and Jordi.
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.