Michael Ballack to play his farewell match on June 5 in Leipzig

At a press conference today former Germany captain Michael Ballack announced that he will play his farewell match at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig on June 5, 2013.

The match will be played under the title 'Ciao Capitano! Ein Abend mit Weltklasse' meaning 'Bye Captain! An evening of world class'!

Ballack has invited a number of stars with whom he has played in his career along with his ex-coaches with a surprise invitation to Germany coach Joachim Löw, who got rid of Ballack under as many said inaapropriate circumstances while he also invited Germany captain Philipp Lahm.

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has already confirmed his participation as have ex-teammates Bastian Schweinsteiger and Andriy Shevchenko.

The former Germany 'Capitano' as he was fondly called, played 98 times for Germany before a horrific injury playing for FC Chelsea by Kevin Pricne Boateng in the English FA Cup final in May 2010 forcefully ended his international career just before the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Ballack who played for Chemnitzer FC, 1.Kaiserslautern, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, FC Bayern Munich, FC Chelsea London before returning to Leverkusen; is best known to have led Germany through a difficult decade without real stars expect him but also as someone who couldn't win an international title finishing runners-up at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2008 European Championships for Germany, besides the 2002 and 2008 UEFA Champions League finals though he won the German Bundesliga and English Premier League titles for his club sides.

Germany's Michael Ballack retires from active football

36 year old midfielder Michael Ballack yesterday called it quits on his playing career after the former Germany captain did not find a club to continue his career. Ballack left Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the summer and was said to have been in talks with clubs in the North American MLS and Australian A-League with offers also coming in from the Middle East, but no deal could be worked out.

In an official statement Ballack said:

At 36 years of age, I can look back on a long and wonderful time in professional football, which I could never have dreamed of as a child. It was a privilege to have worked with world-class coaches and fantastic players.

Of course, I will miss playing playing or scoring a goal in front of 80,000 fans, but the last few months without football have shown me that it is time to stop.

I am looking forward to a new chapter in my life and thank my family and all the awesome people who have helped and supported me. They are all a big part of my success.

The former Germany 'Capitano' as he was fondly called, played 98 times for Germany before a horrific injury playing for FC Chelsea by Kevin Pricne Boateng in the English FA Cup final in May 2010 forcefully ended his international career just before the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Ballack who played for Chemnitzer FC, 1.Kaiserslautern, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, FC Bayern Munich, FC Chelsea London before returning to Leverkusen; is best known to have led Germany through a difficult decade without real stars expect him but also as someone who couldn't win an international title finishing runners-up at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2008 European Championships for Germany, besides the 2002 and 2008 UEFA Champions League though he won the German Bundesliga and English Premier League titles for his club sides.

Ballack set for summer North American-MLS switch

Former Germany captain Michael Ballack's career is set to continue in the North American 'Major League Soccer' after his two year contract ends this summer with Bundesliga side Bayer 04 Leverkusen. This was indirectly confirmed by his agent Michael Becker.

Over the last few months it had become clear that the 35 year old will not end his career this summer and staying in Germany or even in Europe was not what the former Bayern Munich and Chelsea star wanted to do. Ballack's has been looking at the MLS with the city of New York his personal preference.

While his move to the MLS seems to be close to be signed, the club for whom Ballack is set to play is unclear. The New York Red Bulls are looking elsewhere with Aston Villa's Stephen Ireland their preference to be signed in the summer instead of Ballack to join Thierry Henry and Rafael Márquez in the Big Apple.

After his unhappy stay at old club Bayer 04 Leverkusen Ballack will hope that the new world will allow him to get more first team action. If Ballack goes to the MLS, then he joins former Germany team mates Thorsten Frings (FC Toronto) and Arne Friedrich (Chicago Fire).

Leverkusen: Ballack signing a mistake

German Bundesliga side Bayer 04 Leverkusen had high hopes when they resigned former Germany captain Michael Ballack in summer 2010. They had hoped Ballack could bring back the golden days of the early 2000s when the club finished second in all competitions - UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga, German Cup - in the 2001/02 season.

But things haven't worked out the way the club had hoped then in his first season Ballack was more often injured then on the field and also the younger players were better then Ballack forcing him often onto the bench when match fit.

Leverkusen chairman Wolfgang Holzhäuser has said in the Express tabloid, "This transfer didn't work for us. We expected more from him."

Ballack's stats speak for themselves. Last season he played 17 matches and didn't score a goal, this season he has played 14 times scoring twice. Ballack has been better this season, but both Jupp Heynckes last season and now Robin Dutt are said to have their problems with the ageing star.

The former Germany 'Capitano' has not been able to deliver what he has been able to perform in the past. The club has been disappointed that Ballack hasn't helped in pushing the young team in the right direction. And what has surprised many observers is the fact that Ballack has a lot of support from fans, who happen to be critical of coach Robin Dutt.

Holzhäuser ended by saying, "He (Ballack) has three months of contract left. We will finish it off professionally."

Doesn't sound like Leverkusen willing to offer Ballack a new contract in the summer. A sad finish at the club where Ballack became a big player.

Voeller: Calls for Ballack farewell from German FA!

Bayer 04 Leverkusen Director of Sports Rudi Voeller, who happens to be a former Germany coach, has called on the German Football Association (DFB) to give long-time captain Michael Ballack a dignified farewell.

It seemed last summer the topic had been sorted for once and for all after a patch-up between coach Joachim Loew and Ballack seemed unlikely, but Voeller is making another effort to make that match happen.

Voeller only on Friday spoke to the DFB president-designate Wolfgang Niersbach, who is currently the DFB's General Secretary, about the issue. Voeller said, "We discussed the issue at length and some more talks will have to follow, then with a book and a handshake it isn't enough but for such a game to happen Michael Ballack will also have to cooperate."

Voeller hopes that Niersbach is able to bring Loew and Ballack to the table as Leverkusen's General Manager Wolfgang Holzhaeuser has also made similar statements in recent days.

Though his club Leverkusen is pushing for a farewell game Michael Ballack himself continues to be reserved on the matter, while he has said that he has moved on and too many things have happened during the course of issue which cannot be turned back.

Ballack looks at future away from Leverkusen

Former Germany captain Michael Ballack is considering a future away from German Bundesliga side Bayer 04 Leverkusen once his two year contract ends next summer. The 35 year old had been considering to retire at the end of the season, but over the last few Bundesliga rounds he has refound his touch and has even gone on to captain Leverkusen.

Only in mid-November Ballack had said, "I have never said that I want to stop, but if you are 35 years old and your contract expires, it is normal that you are concerned. We'll have to see."

Suddenly Ballack has become a hot property again! Some clubs from the Bundesliga and English Premier League sides are said to be considering to bring in the former Germany Capitano.

Now Ballack could be getting a really interesting offer from MLS Cup winners Los Angeles Galaxy as replacement for English star David Beckham, who is set to leave the Californian club for French giants FC Paris Saint-Germain after five years in the North American league. Ballack could come in as the new Galaxy's Designated Player.

Michael Ballack's Return to Form!

Former German international Michael Ballack last night played his 100th European continental cup match (Champions League, Europa League/UEFA Cup) as the captain of Bayer 04 Leverkusen against his former club FC Chelsea, which the Germans went on to win 2-1 through a 90th minute goal. A great achievement for the club and a very special night for Ballack. First it was a win, then against his former club and finally Bayer 04 also qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Things have really turned around for Michael Ballack in the last few weeks. About three months back at the start of the Bundesliga season there was talk of Leverkusen considering to release Ballack ( Could Ballack be leaving Leverkusen? ) as new coach Robin Dutt didn't see Ballack as a key player in his squad with younger, fitter players ahead of the ex-Germany captain.

But over the last few weeks Ballack has won his place back in the starting eleven, not as one of the double six's as initially planned, but as the central No. 10 in a 4-2-3-1 formation. It is a position Ballack has played in the past, which had earned him the title of being the most dangerous midfielder with goalscoring abilities.

It went even to the extend that Ballack has been playing in recent weeks with a special mask due to a broken nose, which he broke on October 29 in Freiburg after scoring the winner early on. Since then coach Robin Dutt has made Ballack even captain, showing the importance of the seasoned pro for the team. In the meantime Ballack has been critical of his young team mates about not having a winning mentality and the need to focus more. It sounds the old Capitano is back!

It makes me happy to see Ballack back in the thick of action, then he has been the flag bearer of German football when there weren't so many talented and gifted players around. And Leverkusen can need an inform Ballack to push for a good finish in the Bundesliga.

Could Ballack be leaving Leverkusen?

Former Germany captain Michael Ballack is part of a lot of speculation in Germany at the moment. The 34 year old has only played in one of the four Bundesliga matches for Bayer 04 Leverkusen this season so far as new coach Robin Dutt has been favouring other midfielders ahead of the ageing star.



Ballack remains ambitious and still wants to prove a point that his time isn't over just yet, but things haven't been going well for him in the last 15 months. It all started with the foul from Kevin-Prince Boateng in the FA Cup in May 2010, Ballack missed the 2010 FIFA World Cup as a young Germany played a great tournament. His contract was not extended by Chelsea and Ballack returned to Bayer 04 Leverkusen where he was seen as the potential new leader of a young team, but injuries forced him to miss many matches, while he was unable to regain his place in the German national team.



In the new season he wanted to show what he is still capable of but coach Robin Dutt is favouring other, younger players in the Leverkusen squad. This has led to speculation that Ballack could be leaving the west German club with VfL Wolfsburg a potential target.



Initially Leverkusen officials stated that Ballack was not for sale as the club would surely need him with Bundesliga and Champions League assignments coming up, but in the meantime they say they would be willing to speak to Ballack, if an offer comes in which so has not happened.



It will be interesting to see if Ballack stays in Leverkusen over the coming three days or moves on somewhere else, where he would get playing time.

Hoeness: Ballack should accept Loew's offer

FC Bayern Munich's current president and long time Director of Sports Uli Hoeness has called on Michael Ballack to relent in the dispute with German national team coach Joachim Loew.

Speaking to the German weekly Sport Bild Hoeness said, "It would be the best if Michael accepts the offer of a farewell match to play a final game against Brazil and have a suitable finale to his international career."

It is interesting to see Uli Hoeness making such a statement as he is more known from his time as Director of Sports as often not stirring clear of controversies, but here Hoeness seems to be joining the chorus of people who are telling Ballack to say sorry to Loew for what he has said and accept the final match offer to end his international career on a high. Earlier similar calls had been made by German football legends Franz Beckenbauer and Lothar Matthaeus.

Michael Ballack so far has maintained that Loew wasn't honest enough to tell him that his international career was somewhat over after the successful 2010 FIFA World Cup by the young German team and gave him hopes that he could return to captain Germany after his was fully fit again.

The DFB/Joachim Loew vs Michael Ballack spat

The DFB/Joachim Loew vs Michael Ballack spat is like an old married couple who suddenly get divorced and have stored recent events in their minds in totally different ways. While Loew maintains that he was all this while fair to Ballack and made him understand from March 2011 onwards that he will most likely have no future in the national team, Ballack says it was the other way around and he was looking forward to making a return for Germany at some stage after getting over his injuries.

Ballack went to the extend to accuse Loew of being a hypocrite and the offer of a farewell match being a farce. He therefore turned down the offer to lead Germany for one last time against Brazil in an international friendly on August 10 in Stuttgart.

The German FA (DFB) shot back through its General Secretary Wolfgang Niersbach in saying that Loew had kept Ballack informed throughout these months and it was up to the player to call it quits on his international career, but when the DFB was unable to communicate with Ballack via mobile phone as he was on holiday, the DFB had enough and released the statement from Loew last Thursday ending all speculation.

This Ballack called lack of trust and hit back on Friday with a statement through his lawyers and then Niersbach made his statements on Saturday. By then the whole issue had blown out of proportion then many in Germany believe the era Ballack in Team Germany is over, only he should have gotten a fitting farewell.

Leverkusen's Director of Sports Rudi Voeller, himself a former Germany coach, said that he would like to mediate while DFB president Theo Zwanziger has reiterated that he would like to see Ballack play one last time for Germany, but he would have to excuse himself for the statements made.

If this will happen after all that has been said is doubtful, but a player like Ballack deserves such a testimonial game, only he should also understand when his time is over and not hit back like a small brat. Everyone comes out of this as a loser...

Ballack calls farewell match offer a 'farce'

When on Thursday Germany coach Joachim Loew announced that he wouldn't call on Michael Ballack any more, he said it was the end of an era, also saying that in their interactions Ballack understood that there are younger players now who are better then him.

In a statement a disappointed Ballack said, "I found out yesterday, while on holiday, through an announcement that the national coach does not plan with me any more. The style and content of the statement are unfortunately exactly like the way he treated me since my serious injury last summer."

On why he doesn't want to play a final international Ballack said, "To call a friendly match that was arranged long ago a farewell match is a farce. I know I owe my fans this match but I cannot accept the offer."

Ballack added, "The style and content of this piece of news surprised and disappointed me because it does not in any way reflect what the coach told me. If now they say that I and my role were treated openly and with honesty then that is hypocritical."

It sounds Michael Ballack and Joachim Loew spoke to each other, but it wasn't as cordial as the German national coach has told the public. From Ballack's reaction it sounds rather that he felt not have to been treated properly and told honestly what the situation was. It seems he still expected to make a full comeback.

Ballack turns down farewell match offer

Yesterday coach Joachim Loew announced that Michael Ballack's international career in a Germany shirt is over. But Loew and the German FA (DFB) still want to offer their long-time captain a farewell match for all he has done for German football.

On August 10 Germany play a high profile international friendly against Brazil in Stuttgart and the German FA would like to use this match to give Michael Ballack a fitting farewell for all the services over the years for the German national teams. Ballack surely is the German player of the last decade, the only real star footballer the nation has had in all those years.

But according to the German sports agency SID Ballack has turned down the DFB offer to lead Germany for one last time to play his 99th international game for the country.

Former captains and German legends Franz Beckenbauer and Lothar Matthäus have called on Ballack to accept the DFB offer and leave the international stage with this final game. Both understand how difficult it is for Ballack to let go, but the new generation of German footballers have shown since the 2010 FIFA World Cup that Ballack isn't needed any longer as a leader on and off the pitch.

At Bayer 04 Leverkusen meanwhile they are happy that the indecision is finally over and everyone knows that it is over. That is what Director of Sports Rudi Voeller said in an interview and he hoped Ballack would now solely concentrate on Leverkusen to bring the club maximum success.

Loew: Ballack's international career is over

It was Germany's worst kept secret in football and now it has been officially confirmed by national team coach Joachim Loew. The international career of former Germany captain Michael Ballack is now officially over and it is a sad end to the best footballer of his generation.

Loew made the announcement through a statement which read, "Michael Ballack will no longer be a part of the German national squad. I have discussed things openly with Michael Ballack, most recently in our meeting in March 2011 and in numerous phone calls."

"With the Euro 2012 season about to start the time has come for me to make a clear statement," Loew added.

This ends months of speculation if 34 year old Ballack would return to the German national team after Ballack was forced to miss the 2010 FIFA World Cup following a brutal foul by Portsmouth's Kevin-Prince Boateng in last years FA Cup final. Germany went on to play a great tournament with the youngsters showing that there was no need of their Kapitano as Ballack was fondly called.

After having to leave FC Chelsea last year he joint former club Bayer 04 Leverkusen and finished runners-up in the Bundesliga, a position which many recall in connection to Ballack, then he was never able to win a big trophy - FIFA World Cup, European Championship, UEFA Champions League - always finishing runners-up in big finals though winning numerous national titles with Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

"Michael Ballack was for a decade a very important leading player in the national side and contributed enormously to the great successes of the team after the 2002 World Cup," added Joachim Loew, who is Germany coach since 2006.

Ballack 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.

Loew and the German FA (DFB) plan to give Ballack a fitting farewell by offering him one last international game against Brazil in August in an international friendly. It would be Ballack's 99th international match, somehow this sums up his great career but having missed the key milestones.

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.

Germany comeback? Ballack needs time to decide

Former Germany captain Michael Ballack is still undecided if he himself wants to return to the German national team or not. "I still need time and the rhythm to decide if I can make it or not," the 34 year old said yesterday on the sidelines of the FC Chelsea vs Manchester United UEFA Champions League match in London. Ballack was there as Sky Germany pundit.

Last month's planed meeting with Germany coach Joachim Loew had been postponed and it is now set to take place sometime this month. The key topic of discussion will be the future of Ballack in 'die Mannschaft'. After injury problems over the last few month's Ballack has recently gotten back into match rhythm and is also getting more playing time at Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

Coach Loew has not said anything in public if he wants his former 'Capitano' to return or rather retire, but it is known that he has been avoiding the topic since the successful 2010 FIFA World Cup and luckily time has been on his side with Ballack never really recovering from the pre-World Cup injury.

Ballack has played 98 times for Germany and there are suggestions if he decides to end his career that he will be given the captain's armband for one last time, on August 10 this year in an international friendly against Brazil in Stuttgart. It would be a fitting finale for a player who has been the torch-bearer of German football over the last decade, but sadly he has never been able to win anything on the continental or world stage.

Ballack's injury woes continue

Since that infamous tackle from Kevin-Prince Boateng in the FA Cup final at Wembley last May nothing seems to be going right for German international Michael Ballack. One of the many questions is if Ballack is still Germany's captain, just another player or if his international career is over.

Since joining his former club Bayer 04 Leverkusen on a free transfer from FC Chelsea after he missed the 2010 FIFA World Cup the 34 year old has been more out injured then on the pitch, so his challenge for a place in midfield at club and country have been stalled.

A statement on the Bayer 04 website on Sunday said
The day after the team beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0, Michael Ballack was unable to take part in team training. The midfielder had to sit out due to knee problems and underwent an MRI scan with team doctor Achim Muenster (at a clinic in Cologne). The results of this scan are not yet available.

So now another injury layoff for Ballack which makes him miss the clubs next Europa League encounter. People are beginning to question if Ballack will ever be able to return to full match fitness to play a 90 minute game.

And in the German national team his time looks over with the combination of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira having cemented their place over the last few months in central midfield as part of the younger generation in die Mannschaft.

Germany: Ballack remains captain

German national team coach Joachim Loew held a press conference today in Frankfurt/Main ahead of Germany's first 2012 European Championship qualifier against Belgium in Brussels on Friday. But the match wasn't the topic of the press conference as the present German media only wanted to know the future of Michael Ballack in the national team.

Ballack's future has been a topic of heated discussions here in Germany since the success of the young German team under Philipp Lahm at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The country is divided on the topic as some say Ballack should retire, others he should remain captain and a further opinion has been that Ballack should continue to play for Germany no matter if he is captain or not.

Now Loew informed the media what he told Ballack, Lahm and the rest of the team. And to some it came as a surprise as Loew confirmed that Ballack remains the captain of the team, but the coaching staff would like to see a strengthened players body which would include Ballack, Lahm, Schweinsteiger and Klose. Lahm continues to be the vice-captain and in Ballack's absence would be the team captain.

Ballack has been left out of Germany's squad to face Belgium and Azerbaijan in the coming days due to his long injury lay-off plus lack of match fitness and form. It will have to be seen if Ballack is able to regain full fitness and a decent form to justify a call-up next month when German face Turkey and Kazakhstan, then Loew said he has been very happy with the performances of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira, so Ballack would have to be better then them to get back his spot. Schweinsteiger looks to have a secure place, so one will have to see how Khedira does at Real Madrid and Ballack at Bayer 04 Leverkusen as Khedira has also said, he would like to retain his place in the first eleven.

If Ballack for reasons of performance and fitness is left out again in October, then Lahm would continue to be captain and the discussions will start again about Loew not formally ending Ballack's international career, but forcing it him out on performance grounds.

Germany name Euro2012 qualifier squad

Germany national coach Joachim Loew has named his 21 member squad for the first two qualification matches for the 2012 European Championships to be played in the Ukraine and Poland. And not surprisingly missing from the squad is former captain Michael Ballack, who has so far played only one and a half matches after coming back from injury. This means that Philipp Lahm will remain captain for at another two matches and the decision about Ballack's future has been pushed back by a month.

The squad contains 17 players who played the World Cup in South Africa plus three player who missed the tournament due to injury in Rene Adler, Heiko Westermann and Christian Traesch; and Sascha Riether as back-up right back. Missing due to injuries are Arne Friedrich, Jerome Boateng, Piotr Trochowski und Dennis Aogo, while defender Serdar Tasci has been left out due to lack of match practice and keeper Hans-Joerg Butt retired after the World Cup. Also missing will be the captain for the Denmark game last month in Thomas Hitzlsperger, who is also out injured.

The summer fairytale of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is over and now the focus shifts back again to the 2012 European Championship qualifiers. Germany first travel to Brussels to face Belgium on September 3 in a tricky opening game, while they then host Azerbaijan in Cologne on September 7.


GERMANY

Goalkeepers
1-Manuel Neuer (FC Schalke 04), 12-Tim Wiese (SV Werder Bremen), 22-Rene Adler (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)

Defenders
2-Marcell Jansen (Hamburger SV), 4-Sascha Riether (VfL Wolfsburg), 5-Heiko Westermann (Hamburger SV) , 14-Holger Badstuber (FC Bayern Munich), 16-Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern Munich), 17-Per Mertesacker (SV Werder Bremen)

Midfielders
6-Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), 7-Bastian Schweinsteiger (FC Bayern Munich), 8-Mesut Oezil (Real Madrid), 10-Lukas Podolski (1. FC Cologne), 13-Thomas Mueller (FC Bayern Munich), 18-Toni Kroos (FC Bayern Munich), 21-Marko Marin (SV Werder Bremen), 24-Christian Traesch (VfB Stuttgart)

Forwards
9-Stefan Kiessling (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), 11-Miroslav Klose (FC Bayern Munich), 19-Cacau (VfB Stuttgart), 23-Mario Gomez (FC Bayern Munich)

Ballack: Germany captain or retirement?

Germany play their first international friendly after the 2010 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday against Denmark in Copenhagen and due to the inappropriate date only seven members of the World Cup squad will make the trip north with all key players not part of the team. It gives national coach Joachim Loew the forced chance to have a look at his back-up.

But the match isn't the main talking point at the moment here in Germany. The discussions surrounding Michael Ballack and his future in the German national team is still grabbing headline news. Will Ballack remain captain, will he return as just another player and not captain, or will he in the end retire.

Ballack himself had said last week that he would like to continue to play up to the European Championships 2012 in Poland and the Ukraine. But Ballack has left the final decision to coach Loew, who will have to make a difficult decision ahead of Germany's first Euro2012 qualifier against Belgium on September 3. And for the moment Loew or manager Oliver Bierhoff are staying silent on the issue.

The general public expect Ballack to return to the squad in September for the qualifiers if he gets some games for Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and Europa League under his belt, but some want to wait and see in what shape the (former) captain is before he is recalled. But then there are others who are saying outright that Ballack should retire and allow the young German team develop further.

And then there is Philipp Lahm, the stand-in captain at the World Cup for Ballack. The Bayern Munich wing back has reiterated again and again in the German media that he would like to remain captain as he is enjoying the added responsibility, but like Ballack he has said that the final decision rests with coach Loew.

It looks like this topic will keep on coming back in the public limelight until the final squad for the Belgium qualifier is announced. A topic which fills pages of newspapers over the summer break...

Ballack: Back to the roots

German Bundesliga club Bayer 04 Leverkusen yesterday presented to the media their biggest signing in years, German international captain Michael Ballack. Having left the club in 2002 and after four years each at FC Bayern Munich and FC Chelsea London he returns to the club which made him an international star.

And the media interest was worthy of an internationally renowned player. In the press area of the BayArena there where around 130 journalists, 25 photographers and a dozen TV crews. The calm and quiet days in Leverkusen are most likely over and expectations are set to rise amongst the fans too.

Ballack arrived for the press conference along with club MD Wolfgang Holzhaeuser, sports manager Rudi Voeller and coach Jupp Heynckes. And on a hot day Ballack came dressed in shorts and a black T-Shirt.

Holzhaeuser termed it as the "Transfer of the Year" for the club and said, "If it only had been an issue of money, then we wouldn't have had any chance to sign Michael Ballack."
But as sports manager Rudi Voeller stated the Bayer AG was willing to help make the transfer possible plus there where the arguments regarding the young, talented team and Michael Ballack was willing to come back to Leverkusen.

Ballack thereafter said things went really fast. The first informal talks were held in mid-May, just before his injury, on the sidelines of the testimonial match for his long time friend Bernd Schneider. It didn't look realistic then, but both sides continued to be in touch plus it helped that both sides knew each other which in the end most likely clinched the deal.

Ballack also sees the potential in the team and hopes he can finally fulfil his dreams of winning trophies with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. In 2001/02 the club finished second and runners-up in the UEFA Champions League, German Bundesliga and German Cup (DFB Pokal). That summer also a number of Bayer players were part of the German national team which finished runners-up in the 2002 FIFA World Cu. And since then Ballack has the tag of always coming second on him, which he couldn't change at Bayern, Chelsea or the German national team.

But first Ballack would need to regain match fitness. He is currently working on his rehabilitation and hopes to be fit again for the start of the Bundesliga season on August 21 when Leverkusen travel to Borussia Dortmund.

Coming to the topic of Germany Ballack made it clear that he wasn't retiring from international football and was still the captain.
Ballack said, "I am the captain of the national team. Philipp Lahm has made his claim at a moment that I feel is inopportune. I was injured and could not defend myself. There are hierarchies. I am going to talk to Philipp about this business."
Surely a conversation is going to be on amongst Ballack and Lahm when they next meet-up at the Germany camp.