Chelsea FC’s 50 Greatest Players Of All-Time
17. Michael Ballack: 2006-10
Michael Ballack was always considered as one of the better midfielders in football. Hence, it was some coup when Chelsea managed to bring him to Stamford Bridge on a free transfer. While his four-season stay at Stamford Bridge did hit the odd speed bump, his contributions to the club have been widely acknowledged in the aftermath.
His reputation was already forged by the time the 29-year-old had arrived in West London. Success with Kaiserslautern and then Bayern Munich meant that the German brought a wealth of experience to the Blues squad. Perhaps it was this that led to accusations of complacency throughout his first campaign, but he made 46 appearances nonetheless.
An injury saw his second season affected, but 91 appearances in his last two terms saw him drive the team to multiple trophies. Featuring 166 times for the Blues overall, the midfielder added one Premier League title, one League Cup and three FA Cups to his well-endowed trophy cabinet. His 25 goals may have been underwhelming, but they were usually crucial.
However, he has often been jibed for the numerous occasions on which he has finished second and runner-up positions in the 2008 Champions League and League Cup were achieved during his Stamford Bridge spell.
Nevertheless, his quality was apparent each time he pulled on a Chelsea shirt, even if he appeared to be gliding around the field on cruise control.
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