Michael Ballack

Image of Michael Ballack
In the summer, during the holidays, there would be 5,000 people each day at training with Bayern Munich and that makes it hard to concentrate.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
Everybody has to play for their team and accept his role, even if you are in a defensive position sometimes. That is the key if you want to have success.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
We have to focus on ourselves and if we play the best we can we can win the league.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
Italian teams are difficult to beat even if they play away.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
I think if you play for Chelsea you have to deal with the pressure, everybody knows the expectations.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
You want to win everything possible and you try it every year, but you can't win everything, we know this as well but we have to play good football, we have to get the best of our team.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
It is not about the system, it is about how individuals perform on the pitch and whether they do the right things, so it is not as simple as just picking a system.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
It is something very special when you can win a league title, because it is the one that you play all year for.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
Chelsea have given me the opportunity to play in a top team with top players, so I will try to be as successful as possible here.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
Football is not about possession or playing a nice passing game. Football is about winning games.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
A team can have quality but it's also about personality and how they can grow.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
I played in the Champions League constantly for 12 or 13 years in my career, and I reached only two finals. I know how difficult it is to get to that point.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
In football, if you have a big break after a disappointment you can stew on things, and that hurts you.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
Pogba is a great talent.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
London is a brilliant city.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
Of course Lothar Matthaus is always going to be associated with the 1990 World Cup. But does everyone immediately remember what titles Gunter Netzer, Johan Cruyff or Luis Figo won? Or do they also think about how those players played their football and how they led their teams?
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
I hope that people will remember me as a special footballer.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
Mario Gotze is a great player, but one of my favourites is Marco Reus, who is a fantastic player, and one of the very best.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
Very good players have no problem moving to a different country.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
As German players we have something special inside us, because of our football history. We know we have to win, it is what is expected, so we have a good focus.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
I like Daniel Sturridge a lot after playing with him at Chelsea.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
Winning the league is one thing but for me it was always the dream to win the Champions League.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
When you're 29 and you've already got family, it's important that they feel comfortable.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
Experienced national players deserve at least some respect and loyalty.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
The main reason to come to England and Chelsea was to play with a great team. Money and the chance to live in a city like London are additional factors.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
I want to prove myself at Chelsea and be successful in the Premiership and the Champions League.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
People have weaknesses, we should accept it.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
I can imagine finishing my career at Chelsea.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
Mesut is an amazing player.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
If you are a top player in England, the cult around you is bigger than in Germany.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
Playing for Chelsea I have to be more ruthless than in the German team, where I have managed to earn myself a different status over the years.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
I don't want to look back on my career at some point and say, 'What a pity, I came close a few times, but it was never good enough.'
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
To pass on your ideas and have an influence on a team really interests me.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
I've always reflected on the game.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
I was able to play for and captain my country.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
I played at the highest level throughout my career and I'm happy about that.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
If you want to work as a coach for longer term you need consistency, trust in the club and also the environment around the club.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
In training, for example, when you feel your position on the team is in danger then you have to be fully focused.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
That's what counts for you as a player if you are on a high salary and you are earning, let's say, enough money, which you normally can't spend in your lifetime. It's something you should really think about - where you play, what level you play, the audience.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
You love what you do but it's still a job and you are limited in the time to earn money and you think about it if someone makes you a crazy offer.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
Football in Europe is No. 1 - that is what everyone watches because the best players in the world compete in this area.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
Of course, South Americans are different from Europeans; I knew that when we played them.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
I am happy to play in the Premier League. It's a competition which encourages players to give only their very best week in, week out and you have to be 100%.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
We will give everything for the FA Cup, Champions League and Premier League.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
You always need time to adapt to a new manager. But in football if you don't get a result, you are under pressure.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
The coach is the first person who is under pressure but when a new manager comes you should give him time.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
I am always open to new ideas, but you can't always be right.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
There must be some tensions in a team, which you can't always wipe away or smooth over.
- Michael Ballack
Image of Michael Ballack
I did not win anything at Leverkusen so to win six titles in four years with Bayern shows the move was worthwhile.
- Michael Ballack