Michael Ballack net worth in 2023 Career & Relationship

Estimated value:	€27 million
Age:	45
Born:	09/26/1976
Country of origin:	Germany (former GDR)
Source of Wealth:	footballer
Last updated:	2021

Short introduction

Michael Ballack was a professional soccer player for over 17 years. During this time he played for Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Chelsea, among others. He was captain of the German national team for a long time and took part in two World Cups and three European Championships. After retiring, he worked as a TV expert for various broadcasters.

early life

Michael Ballack was born near Görlitz in the former GDR. At the age of seven he started playing football for BSG Motor “Fritz Heckert” Karl-Marx-Stadt. The trainer there, Steffen Hänisch, quickly noticed the youngster’s technical skills. Ballack played his first game in the junior division on October 4, 1983. In his first season he managed to score twelve goals. Ballack quickly developed leadership qualities within his youth teams. In 1988 he moved to FC Karl-Marx-Stadt and over the years won the district indoor championship, the Saxon indoor championship and finally the Saxon U-19 championship.

Career

Michael Ballack received his first professional contract in 1995 with the same club, which had since been renamed Chemnitzer FC. In 1995 he made his debut in the 2nd Bundesliga and a year later was called up to the squad of the German U-21 national team. After he was relegated to the Regionalliga Nordost with Chemnitzer FC and missed promotion the following year, he was signed by 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 1997. There Ballack developed into a regular player.

In 1999 he was accepted into the squad of the German senior national team and switched to Bayer Leverkusen in the same year. In the following years he took on the role of central playmaker at Leverkusen. As part of qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, he also developed into an important leading player in the national team. In 2002, Ballack switched to FC Bayern Munich for the sum of six million euros, where he received a salary of EUR 8 million a year. He shaped a successful phase at Bayern, but was attacked by fans and club bosses for allegedly lacking loyalty to the club.

In 2006, Ballack, who had meanwhile become captain of the German national team under Klinsmann, decided to switch to Chelsea. There he became one of the top earners in the Premier League with a salary of EUR 134,000 per week. With an estimated Net Worth of EUR 22 million at the time, he was the eighth richest professional footballer in England in 2009. According to a study by Thomson Media Control, Ballack was the most popular and best-selling advertising ambassador of all active German players at the time. With Chelsea he won various cups and in 2010 the English championship. His time at Chelsea and with the national team would come to an end in 2010. As a result of a foul by Kevin-Prince Boateng, Ballack injured his medial ligament and ankle, which meant he missed the 2010 World Cup.

After Ballack was further set back by a second injury in the same year, national coach Jogi Löw informed him in an interview on June 16, 2011 that he would no longer be considered in the squad planning. From 2010 to 2012, Michael Ballack returned to Bayer Leverkusen. He let the contract expire in 2012 in agreement with the club. Ballack ended his active football career on October 2, 2012. After he had previously rejected a farewell game with the national team due to personal differences, he invited Joachim Löw and Phillip Lahm to an independently organized farewell game in Leipzig in March 2013. In September of the same year he was officially adopted and honored by the DFB.

After his career, Ballack acted as an advertising medium for various companies such as Adidas, Samsung and Pepsi. Between 2012 and 2016 he worked as a soccer pundit for ESPN.

Career highlights

Ballack won his first German championship in 1998 with 1. FC Kaiserslautern. After contributing an own goal in the last game in 2000 to Leverkusen narrowly missing out on the championship title, he won the double with Munich in 2003, 2005 and 2006. During this time he was voted Germany’s footballer of the year three times. A number of other titles followed at Chelsea. With the German national team, Ballack became Vice World Champion in 2002. Germany finished third in 2006 and second again at Euro 2008. Ballack was selected to the All-Star Team in four consecutive tournaments from 2002 to 2008.

Famous quotes

“In reality, I’m a very low-maintenance guy.”

“I don’t have any rituals. Except for the things you always do the same.”

“I see it the same way, just the other way around.”

tips for success

Michael Ballack has emphasized the importance of developing mechanisms to deal with stress and the pressure to succeed. In his view, detailed preparation for any potential problems is one of the keys to successfully dealing with the pressure during an important game.

At the same time, a successful leader must be willing to take responsibility and face problems at any time.

Estimated value:	€27 million