Editing Michael Ballack (section)

{{short description|German footballer (born 1976)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Michael Ballack
| image = 10. Tag der Legenden 2014 69.jpg
| caption = Ballack in 2014
| full_name = Michael Ballack<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifadata.com/document/fwc/2006/PDF/FWC_2006_SquadLists.pdf |title=2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players: Germany |publisher=FIFA |page=12 |date=21 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190610174527/https://www.fifadata.com/document/fwc/2006/PDF/FWC_2006_SquadLists.pdf |archive-date=10 June 2019}}</ref>
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|9|26|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Görlitz]], East Germany
| height = 1.88 m<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chelseafc.com/page/PlayerProfileDetail/0,,10268~27923,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126093236/http://www.chelseafc.com/page/PlayerProfileDetail/0,,10268~27923,00.html |archive-date=2010-11-26  | title = Ballack - Chelseafc.com | access-date = 31 March 2022 }}</ref>
| position = [[Midfielder]]
| currentclub = 
| youthyears1 = 1983–1988
| youthclubs1 = BSG Motor "Fritz Heckert" Karl-Marx-Stadt
| youthyears2 = 1988–1995
| youthclubs2 = [[Chemnitzer FC]]
| years1 = 1995–1997
| clubs1 = [[Chemnitzer FC II]]
| caps1 = 18
| goals1 = 5
| years2 = 1995–1997
| clubs2 = [[Chemnitzer FC]]
| caps2 = 49
| goals2 = 10
| years3 = 1997–1998
| clubs3 = [[1. FC Kaiserslautern II]]
| caps3 = 17
| goals3 = 8
| years4 = 1997–1999
| clubs4 = [[1. FC Kaiserslautern]]
| caps4 = 46
| goals4 = 4
| years5 = 1999–2002
| clubs5 = [[Bayer 04 Leverkusen|Bayer Leverkusen]]
| caps5 = 79
| goals5 = 27
| years6 = 2002–2006
| clubs6 = [[FC Bayern Munich|Bayern Munich]]
| caps6 = 107
| goals6 = 44
| years7 = 2006–2010
| clubs7 = [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]]
| caps7 = 105
| goals7 = 17
| years8 = 2010–2012
| clubs8 = [[Bayer 04 Leverkusen|Bayer Leverkusen]]
| caps8 = 35
| goals8 = 2
| totalcaps = 456
| totalgoals = 117
| nationalyears1 = 1996–1998
| nationalteam1 = [[Germany national under-21 football team|Germany U21]]
| nationalcaps1 = 19
| nationalgoals1 = 7
| nationalyears2 = 1999–2010
| nationalteam2 = [[Germany national football team|Germany]]
| nationalcaps2 = 98
| nationalgoals2 = 42
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's [[Association football|football]]}}{{MedalCountry|{{fb|Germany}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[FIFA World Cup]]}}
{{Medal|RU|[[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002 Korea/Japan]]|}}
{{Medal|3rd|[[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 Germany]]|}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[UEFA European Championship]]}}
{{Medal|RU|[[UEFA Euro 2008|2008 Austria–Switzerland]]|}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[FIFA Confederations Cup]]}}
{{Medal|3rd|[[2005 FIFA Confederations Cup|2005 Germany]]|}}
}}
'''Michael Ballack''' ({{IPA|de|ˈmɪçaːʔeːl ˈbalak}}; born 26 September 1976) is a German former professional [[Association football|footballer]]. He was selected by [[Pelé]] as one of [[FIFA 100|FIFA's 100 Greatest Living Players]], and as the [[UEFA Champions League Best Midfielder|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 known for his passing range, powerful shot, physical strength and commanding presence in [[Midfielder|midfield]].<ref name="Ballack retires">{{cite web|url=http://in.mobile.reuters.com/article/idINDEE89106G20121002?irpc=932|title=Former Germany captain Ballack retires at 36|website=in.mobile.reuters.com|publisher=Reuters|first=Karolos|last=Grohmann|date=2 October 2012|access-date=17 August 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/player/_/id/12641/michael-ballack?cc=5901 |title=Player Profile |work=[[ESPN FC|ESPN Soccernet]] |access-date=9 April 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718222606/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/player/_/id/12641/michael-ballack?cc=5901 |archive-date=18 July 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Ballack began his career as a youth at enterprise sports community BSG Motor "Fritz Heckert" Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1983. He then joined the youth department of [[Football club (East Germany)|football club]] [[Chemnitzer FC|FC Karl-Marx-Stadt]].<ref name="club and country stats">{{cite web|url=http://www.fussballdaten.de/spieler/ballackmichael |title=Michael Ballack |work=[[Fussballdaten.de]] |access-date=9 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100216115834/http://www.fussballdaten.de/spieler/ballackmichael |archive-date=16 February 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Ballack made his debut for [[Germany national under-21 football team|Germany's under-21 side]] on 26 March 1996. Although the team were relegated in his first season, his performances in the [[Regionalliga]] the following season led to a transfer to 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 1997. He won the [[Bundesliga]] in his first season at the club, his first major honour. He became a first team regular in [[1998–99 Bundesliga|1998–99 season]] and also earned his first senior national cap for Germany. He moved to [[Bayer 04 Leverkusen|Bayer Leverkusen]] for €4.1&nbsp;million in 1999. The [[2001–02 Bayer 04 Leverkusen season|2001–02 season]] saw him win a slew of runners-up medals: Bayer Leverkusen [[The Treble#Near trebles|finished second]] in the Bundesliga, [[DFB-Pokal]], [[UEFA Champions League]] and Germany lost to [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] in the [[2002 FIFA World Cup Final|2002 World Cup Final]].

A €12.9&nbsp;million move to [[FC Bayern Munich|Bayern Munich]] led to further honours: the team won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal [[Double (association football)|double]] in 2003, 2005 and 2006. Ballack had become a prolific goalscorer from midfield, scoring 58 goals for Bayern between 2002 and 2006. He joined [[Premier League]] club [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] in mid-2006 and won English honours in his first season at the club. Injury ruled him out of much of 2007, but he returned the following season to help Chelsea reach their first ever [[2008 UEFA Champions League Final|Champions League final]]. He also went on to win the [[2008–09 FA Cup|FA Cup]] again in 2009 and then once more as part of a [[2009–10 Premier League|league]] and [[2009–10 FA Cup|cup]] double in 2010.

Internationally, Ballack has played in the [[UEFA European Football Championship]] in [[UEFA Euro 2000|2000]], [[UEFA Euro 2004|2004]] and [[UEFA Euro 2008|2008]], and the [[FIFA World Cup]] in [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]] and [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]]. [[Jürgen Klinsmann]] appointed him captain of the national team in 2004. Ballack scored consecutive game-winning goals in the quarter-final and semi-final to help his country to the [[2002 FIFA World Cup Final|2002 World Cup final]] and led his team to the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup and the [[UEFA Euro 2008 Final|Euro 2008 final]]. He is among the top goal scorers in the history of the Germany national team.