Michael Ballack – Germany
A few days after German national coach Joachim Leow announced that Michael Ballack was not part of his plans for the future, it meant that the curtains were finally drawn on a glittering career of another star player. Ballack, one of the greatest footballers to play for Germany, however felt that he deserved a better exit from the game than what he received.
Ballack was never on good terms with Leow after the coach had given the captain’s armband to Lahm, who had led the team from the front in the 2010 World Cup. Ballack accused Leow of being a hypocrite and claimed that the coach had stabbed him behind his back. Ballack also refused to use the offer of an upcoming friendly match against Brazil as his testimonial match and called it a farce.
Ballack had become an instant superstar during the 2002 World Cup where he was amongst the standout players as Germany advanced to the final. Ballack however wasn’t a part of the final which Germany lost after picking up a booking in the semi. Ballack then matured as a player and went on to become the captain of the national squad. Although the Germans didn’t win any major trophy during his reign, they enjoyed a successful run in World tournaments.
When Ballack picked up an injury during the spring of 2010, it was the beginning of the end of Ballack’s career. The injury meant that he wouldn’t be a part of the team for the World Cup and Lahm was made the intern captain. An impressive performance during the Cup was enough for Leow to give Lahm the full time captaincy and this didn’t go down well with Ballack. Ballack found himself in and out of the team and when Leow finally made it public that Ballack wasn’t a part of his future plans, Ballack’s future was written.
Ballack might not have achieved the superstardom of Beckenbauer or Matthaus but he should have been known as one of the greatest midfielders Germany has ever produced. Instead he might only be remembered as another superstar who failed to realize that his time was up!
Tags: Football, Germany, Joachim Leow, Michael Ballack, Midfielder, Soccer
