DFB-Kapitän gibt weiter Rätsel auf
Spezialschuh für Ballack

Das Rätselraten um den Gesundheitszustand von Michael Ballack geht weiter. Der Kapitän der Nationalmannschaft traf sich am Sonntag in Köln mit Bundestrainer Joachim Löw zu einem Gespräch über seinen verletzten Knöchel und seine Situation beim FC Chelsea. Tags zuvor weilte der 30-Jährige im fränkischen Herzogenaurach, wo für ihn ein Spezialschuh angefertigt werden soll.

Auch nach der Ausbootung für die Champions League durch seinen Verein FC Chelsea sorgt Michael Ballack bei der Nationalmannschaft weiter für Aufregung. Wegen des ungeklärten Gesundheitszustands des DFB-Kapitäns traf sich der 30-Jährige am Sonntag mit Nationalcoach Joachim Löw zu einem Gespräch. Dies teilte der DFB mit.

Um seinen lädierten Knöchel zu schonen, soll der Mittelfeldspieler eine Maßanfertigung erhalten. Zu Anpassungszwecken weilte er deshalb am Samstag im fränkischen Herzogenaurach.

Löw wollte aus erster Hand Kenntnis über den Gesundheitszustand und die Situation Ballacks bei dessen Arbeitgeber in London bekommen. Löw selbst rechnet bei den nächsten Qualifikationsspielen für die EURO 2008 in der Schweiz und Österreich am 13. Oktober in Dublin gegen Irland und vier Tage später in München gegen Tschechien nicht mehr mit einem Comeback Ballacks. Dies sei "für die nächsten zwei, drei Wochen eher kein Thema", hatte Löw bereits nach der Partie in Cardiff gesagt. Somit blieben Ballack und dem ebenfalls seit längerer Zeit verletzten Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen) nur noch das EM-Quali-Spiel am 21. November in Frankfurt gegen Wales für ein DFB-Comeback in diesem Jahr.

Ballack reiste nach der Unterredung noch zu DFB-Arzt Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfart und Physiotherapeut Klaus Eder, wo weitere Untersuchungen auf dem Programm standen.

Ballack bekommt Spezialschuh
Bereits am Samstag weilte Ballack in Anwesenheit eines Chelsea-Arztes bei seinem Ausrüster im fränkischen Herzogenaurach. Dort soll für ihn ein Spezialschuh für den verletzten Fuß angefertigt werden.

Michael Ballack zog sich die Knöchel-Verletzung am 22. April im Ligaspiel gegen Newcastle United (0:0) zu. Fünf Tage später wurde er in München wegen einer Knochenabsplitterung am Sprunggelenk operiert, doch die Beschwerden wurden dadurch nicht besser. Am 3. Juli erfolgte ein weiterer Eingriff, der aber ebenfalls keine entscheidende Verbesserung brachte. Noch immer kann der Mittelfeldspieler derzeit nur ein individuelles Rehaprogramm bestreiten, an eine reguläre Teilnahme am Training der Londoner ist nicht zu denken.

Wegen seines unklaren Gesundheitszustands wurde Ballack vom FC Chelsea nicht für den Kader für die Gruppenphase der Champions League nominiert. Britische Medien deuten die Maßnahme der Londoner als Anzeichen für einen Abschied Ballacks von der Stamford Bridge.
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Sun 09 Sep, 08:36 PM
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany captain Michael Ballack remains unclear about when he will be fit again after ankle surgery towards the end of last season.

"It's getting better but I still can't play or take part in training," the Chelsea midfielder told the German Football Association's Web site (www.dfb.de).

"I can't give you a prediction about when I'll be back."

With all the uncertainty about Ballack's fitness, Chelsea left him out of their squad for the group phase of the Champions League.

"Of course I'm disappointed about that," Ballack said of the decision. "I just have to accept it and concentrate on getting back fit. Then I can start thinking about other things."
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By Sam Wallace
Published: 10 September 2007

Michael Ballack was last night at the centre of a bizarre dispute between Chelsea, the German football federation (DFB) and his club's sponsors, Adidas, over whether he was allowed to remain in Germany for a film-shoot.

Ballack was understood to be despairing at Chelsea's failure to tell him if he could miss training today. Only last night was he finally told he had permission to remain in Germany after a wrangle that had lasted all weekend.

The Germany captain is already hugely disillusioned at his club's decision not to name him in their Champions League squad because of doubts over when he will recover from an ankle injury that has plagued him since April. Yesterday he was at loggerheads with the club yet again.

Ballack, 30, travelled to Germany on Thursday, with the club's permission, to visit the surgeon who performed his ankle operation in April. He also visited the Adidas technology centre in Scheinfeld near Nüremberg to see if they could find him a boot to relieve the pain in his left ankle that remains after two operations.

However, he still required permission from Chelsea to stay in Cologne today to film a television commercial with Adidas that will be used when Germany play in Euro 2008. Despite attempts from the hierarchy of the DFB, including the assistant manager Oliver Bierhoff, and senior figures at Adidas to contact Chelsea, no answer had been received by later afternoon yesterday. Ballack was due to fly back to the UK in the early evening.

When high-profile players take part in commercials there are issues of insurance that need to be approved by their employer in order for them to participate. There was no question of Ballack kicking a football in the commercial, which is due to feature Bastian Schweinsteiger, Bernd Schneider and Kevin Kuranyi as well as other members of the Germany squad. However, the DFB and Adidas were unable to reach senior figures at Chelsea including the chief executive, Peter Kenyon, who is due back from a holiday in Cyprus today.

Adidas have an eight-year kit deal with Chelsea, signed last year and worth around £100m. It is understood the date for shooting the commercial was set at least four weeks ago.

Ballack's recovery has not reached the stage where he is able to run on grass and there are fears that he may yet need another operation. A tackle from Titus Bramble, then of Newcastle, on 22 April chipped a bone and the fragment was removed. Despite trips to various specialists in Europe, no-one has been able to ascertain the source of the pain in Ballack's ankle. The player has fallen behind Wayne Bridge in the timetable of his rehabilitation. The England left-back is now set to be back in around two weeks' time.

That justifies the decision to include Bridge in the Champions League squad, but Ballack has not been told why he was left out in favour of players such as third-choice goalkeeper Hilario and third-choice right-back Paulo Ferreira.
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9 September 2007
BALLACK OFF
Exclusive by Tom Hopkinson

Michael Ballack was left out of Chelsea's 25-man Champions League squad because he has agreed to join Real Madrid in January.

The German midfielder will put pen to paper on an £8million switch from Stamford Bridge to the Bernabeu when the transfer window reopens after agreeing terms worth around £135,000 a week.

Intrigue has surrounded Jose Mourinho's decision to omit Ballack from his European squad all week.

The Blues chief claimed the ankle injury with which he is currently sidelined would not be healed for two to three months and that he would, therefore, be unavailable for the best part of the group stage, which runs until December.

But Germany coach Joachim Loew counter-claimed that Ballack believed he would be back much sooner and that he hoped he would be available for his country's Euro 2008 qualifying fixtures against the Czech Republic and Republic of Ireland next month.

Ballack has had a disappointing year at Chelsea since his move from Bayern Munich, struggling with both injuries and form.

But that has not stopped Real coach Bernd Schuster expressing his admiration for the 30-year-old and a deal was close to being done in the last transfer window.

However, one could not be reached in time because of agent demands, although that has since been resolved because Ballack made it clear he wanted the move. Hotline also understands that the meeting which took place at the club's training complex between Mourinho and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich on Monday was not, as widely believed, to discuss the team's style of play but the off-loading of the midfielder.

The news will come as a blow to Juventus, whom Italian newspapers suggested on Friday would move for the player at the turn of the year.
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