da winzada777：
da dobrowin： With news this morning confirming that Michael Ballack will play no part at this summer’s World Cup in South Africa I am left contemplating how he will reflect on his own career as it approaches its end. He has won many titles but equally, and perhaps more bitterly, lost many in the most unfortunate of circumstances.
Anyone who doubts Ballack’s calibre as a player, especially in his prime, should be hospitalised. As a central midfielder they simply do not come any more complete: 6ft 2inches tall, as good with his left foot as he is with his right, a consistent goal scorer, a solid tackler, and lethal in the air. Before we all begin thinking his is a career of losers’ medals it is important to consider his successes: nearly a century of appearances for his country (and an incredible 42 goals from midfield), 4 Bundesliga titles, 4 German domestic Cups, 3 FA Cups, a League Cup and, most recently, a Premier League title. He is a heavyweight of the game. The circumstances of his continued participation in nearly-teams however creates a dichotomy to this success that is, well, very un-German-like.
His 2001-2002 Bayer Leverkusen season was ended with an array of runners up medals; runners up in the league, the cup, the Champions League, and the World Cup. It is more the manner in which these losses occur that make it a doubly bitter pill to swallow as Leverkusen relinquished a five point lead at the top of the table with only three games to go, being beaten by the greatest goal in Champions League history in the final, and only being able to helplessly watch – through suspension – his national team lose a World Cup Final. It doesn’t come any bitterer than that. Being voted UEFA club midfielder of the year and part of the World Cup Best XI only solders the defeats with the knowledge that he had played very well…and still lost.
2007-2008 repeated the tragedy of 02’ with Chelsea finishing runners up in the league, the League Cup, the Champions League, and Ballack captaining his team to a defeat in the 2008 European Championship at the hands of Spain. Again, the margins of these defeats are alarming as the title chase went to the final day of the season and the Champions League defeat decided by a solitary slipped, missed spot kick. Ballack has still achieved a sustained level of success and an illustrious list of honours to his name that suggest he is one of the best midfielders to have played the game in the last decade. But the list could have included a Champions League, a European Cup, and a World Cup.
Boateng’s challenge on Ballack in Saturday’s FA Cup Final means the German cannot attempt to better the two semi final appearances he has made at the world’s most prestigious footballing event. Should Germany lift the trophy this summer (I don’t think they will and for Ballack’s sake I certainly hope they don’t) it would be a bitter combination of emotions that has been a symptom of his career losses: an achievement in itself to have reached that point, but all the more painful because celebration, and the summit, were so close yet never conquered.
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