Ballack Continues to be Denied

One of the most talked about incidents towards the end of the controversial Chelsea-Barcelona semifinal in the midweek was the reaction of Chelsea’s German midfielder Michael Ballack as he protested against one of the many refereeing blunders made that night. Ballack raced towards the official and came within inches of getting physical with the infamous Norwegian. While Barcelona fans were still celebrating Andres Iniesta’s shock equalizer, others watched closely as Ballack’s professionalism was put through the most severe of tests.

Generally, as one of my previous articles suggests, a top-flight footballer’s professionalism should remain intact in situations that involve extremely high pressure. However, in this article, I seek to defend Michael Ballack’s actions based on the fact that, in a single moment this past Wednesday night, the German skipper’s journey of immense heartbreak flashed right before his eyes.

In 2002, Ballack’s Bayer Leverkusen side suffered a triple disaster as a treble-chasing season ended in absolutely nothing. Of course, the most devastating of these defeats was the 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League Final. And this was not the end of Ballack’s misery in 2002. In fact, a greater misery awaited.

That summer, Brazil reigned supreme over all its opponents during the World Cup staged in Japan and South Korea. While an unstoppable Ronaldo and a rising Ronaldinho stole the headlines throughout the tournament, the Germans stood up as the solitary competition. Although captain Oliver Kahn’s goalkeeping displays contributed incalculably towards Germany’s journey to the final, it was Ballack’s refined midfield performances that drove forward a limited German offense.

In the semifinal, he scored the winning goal against South Korea to become his side’s hero on the night. However, Germany’s progression came at the expense of Ballack himself as he was suspended from the final following a technical foul. Although he must have been gutted beyond words, he had made it clear that he was the kind of player we would all be seeing on the big stage over and over again. 

Surprisingly, it took approximately six years for Ballack to return to competing for the highest honors. His time in between at Bayern Munich may have yielded multiple Bundesliga titles, but as the world knew him, he sought greater challenges. His reasons to join then-reigning English Champions Chelsea included a desire to win the Premier League as well as the highly coveted Champions League prize that still alluded him at that point.

Little did Ballack know that his first season would yield neither of these honors as Chelsea struggled to make further inroads under the very special Jose Mourinho. Under Avram Grant, however, Ballack returned as a completely different player who no longer had issues regarding injuries and form. In fact, there were times in his second season at Chelsea where he single-handedly held the team together (he scored the winning goal against Manchester United in the Premier League) in the absence of stars such as John Terry and Frank Lampard.

While Chelsea lost the Premier League title on the final day of the season, it was more or less expected due to the fact that Manchester United controlled the title race till the very end. Hence, the real heartbreak came when the Red Devils ended Ballack (and Chelsea’s) dreams of a first Champions League title following a penalty-shootout in the final between the two sides. Ballack, like always, had scored his penalty and needless to say, he had played his part sincerely throughout the game itself. However, glory had deceived him yet again. And before you think that was the last time it had happened to him, let me remind you of a certain Euro 2008 final that Ballack’s Germany side had lost to Spain that very summer.

It has been almost a year since, and this past Wednesday when Ballack’s Chelsea was well on its way to the Champions League final until the 93rd minute, I am sure Ballack was wary of lady luck all along. And when it struck against him yet again, how could he control the culmination of an emotional journey that has only ever resulted in shattered dreams?

In that one moment when he raced towards the official, not only was Ballack furious at the below-par officiating throughout the game, but I am sure he was equally upset at being denied yet another shot at glory. Sure, Michael Ballack is a professional footballer who chose this path for himself. But as a long-time football fan, I feel this man deserves to be rewarded for all his contributions to the world of football. As an Arsenal fan, I find it difficult to wish him all the luck in the world. But that doesn’t change the fact that I have always felt for him.

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