Ballack has no future in Team Germany

Ahead of the friendly against Uruguay on May 29 in Hoffenheim and the Euro 2012 qualifiers against Austria on June 3 and Azerbaijan on June 7, Germany coach Joachim Loew faces a problem at the heart of midfield with FC Bayern Munich's Bastian Schweinsteiger out with a broken toe, while Real Madrid's Sami Khedira still has to recovered from an injury suffered against FC Barcelona in the Spanish Cup final last month.

And even though Loew has these injury worries he is not calling on his former captain as a replacement and is looking at options within the squad which he sees in Ballack's club team mate Simon Rolfes and Toni Kroos of Bayern Munich as possible options.

Talking to the German tabloid Bild am Sonntag Loew had said, "Michael and I have agreed to talk again after the international matches. We've shared a lot (of opinions), he knows what I think, that is why it will be a final (formal) meeting."

It looks clear that in the coming two/three weeks the future of Michael Ballack in the German national team will be disclosed or rather the end of his international career will be. It looks likely that Ballack, who has played 98 times for Germany, will get a last and final call-up for the friendly against Brazil on August 10 in Stuttgart.

It would be an end to an international career in which Ballack was never able to win a big trophy - FIFA World Cup, European Championship, UEFA Champions League - always finishing runners-up though winning numerous national titles.

He will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen and they will be playing UEFA Champions League next season, but it looks rather unlikely that Leverkusen would win the Champions League.