B Baris

Robinho's carrier

The club's Robinho played for

Robinho Trophies during his carrier

Childhood & Early Life

Robson de Souza was born on January 25, 1984, in Sao Vicente, Sao Paulo, Brazil. He was raised by his parents, Marina da Silva Souza, and Gilvan de Souza. His mother is a caterer, while his father, who previously worked as a salesman, is now Robinho’s professional agent.Robinho developed a liking for football in his early childhood. He became the leader of his indoor football team at a very young age and scored 73 goals in his first season.He caught the attention of the Brazilian great, Pele, when he was just 15 years old. Pele helped him strike a contract with ‘Santos FC’ and also named him as his heir apparent. Robinho was just 18 years old when he started playing for the club’s senior team.

Early carrier

Robinho made his debut with ‘Santos FC’ in the famous Brazilian league . His team ended up winning the first place in the league.He made 108 appearances and scored 47 goals for the club. His performance in the club caught the attention of many European clubs.In 2005, he was signed by the Spanish giant ‘Real Madrid,’ despite the fact that his performance had slackened during the season

Who is Robinho?

Robson de Souza, popularly known as Robinho, is a Brazilian football player. He has played for professional football clubs, such as ‘Real Madrid,’ ‘Manchester City,’ and ‘A.C. Milan.’ Robinho started playing football at a young age and was eventually spotted by Brazilian legend Pele, who got him his first professional contract. Robinho started his career with ‘Santos FC’ and then managed to strike a deal with the Spanish club ‘Real Madrid’ in 2005. He played for ‘Real Madrid’ for more than two years during which he won two titles, before joining ‘Manchester City’ in 2008. In 2010, he started playing for ‘A.C. Milan’ and bagged the prestigious ‘Italian Serie A’ title. In 2015, he participated in the ‘Chinese Super League’ and helped his team win the tournament. The following year, he signed a two-year contract with the Brazilian football club Atletico Mineiro. As an international footballer, Robinho has represented his country at two ‘FIFA World Cups.’ He has also won two ‘FIFA Confederations Cups’ and a ‘Copa America’ title while playing for his national football team. In 2018, he signed a contract with the Turkish club ‘Sivasspor.’

Robinho at Manchester City (2008-2010)

Robinho at AC Milan (2010-15)

Beyblade (ベイブレード, Beiburēdo, diminutive Bey, from the diminutive of beigoma) is a line of spinning-top toys originally developed by Takara, first released in Japan in July 1999, along with its debut series. Following Takara's merger with Tomy in 2006, Beyblades are now developed by Takara Tomy. Various toy companies around the world have licensed Beyblade toys for their own regions, including Hasbro in Western countries, Sonokong in Japan, and Takara Tomy for Eastern countries.

Both the toys and their names were inspired by beigoma, a traditional spinning top. The concept is similar to Battling Tops, a board game developed by Ideal Toy Company in 1968. The toy line was introduced with an accompanying manga series of the same name in 1999. In 2002, Hasbro began to sell Beyblade toys internationally (under license from Takara) along with a coordinated country-by-country release of localized versions of the TV series. In August 2008, Takara Tomy released Metal Fight Beyblade; the first incarnation of the toy in three and a half years. A third incarnation, titled Beyblade Burst was released by Takara Tomy in July 2015.

Game and rules

Aside from formal play, a game with specific rules was published for the initial toy line. The formal game is played with two players or more. Each player is allowed up to three Beyblades, but may not switch parts once a match has started. Players may choose from any of the three Beyblades they have with them for any battle in a match.

In Metal Fight Beyblade, a points system was introduced. In the Beyblade Burst line of toys, Hasbro releases its own ruleset for its toyline. In general, the first player to 3 points will win a match.

Points are awarded to a player based on how their Beyblade looks because some Beyblades’ names vary depending on the region; the following uses the Hasbro terminology followed by the Takara Tomy ones.

One point is awarded if the opponent's Beyblade stops spinning (Survivor/Spin Finish).

One point is awarded if the opponent's Beyblade is knocked out of the stadium or falls into a pocket in the stadium (Ring Out/Over Finish/KO/Knockout Finish).

Beginning with Beyblade Burst, two points are awarded if the opponent's top is "burst" during a battle (Burst Finish).

In the event of a draw (both Beyblades are knocked out of the ring, stop spinning simultaneously, or burst at the same time), no points are awarded to either player.

Types

Three of the main types of Beyblades have rock-paper-scissors style effectiveness, with Attack generally being weak to Defense, Defense to Stamina, and Stamina to Attack. However, due to the high variability of the custom designs, this is not a hard rule. Balance types may be strong or weak to any of the others depending on specific parts.

1. Attack

These Beyblades specialize in attacking other Beyblades. They battle fiercely and try to knock out the other Beyblade as fast as they can, but at the cost of having poor stamina. They tend to outperform Stamina-Type Beyblades due to their lack of defense. Attack type beys also have to be heavy to be able to knock others out. They usually have flat or rubber performance tips and have layers which can grip onto the opponent.

2. Defense

These Beyblades specialize in knocking back attacks. They tend to travel slowly and are heavier than other types, resulting in opponents being deflected. Their weight also causes them to launch slower, resulting in less stamina. They tend to wear down Attack-types but are outlasted by Stamina. They are also very thick in terms of metal and have wide ball-like performance tips.

Stamina/Endurance

These Beyblades specialize in stamina. They are used so they can out-spin the enemy top and win. In exchange for a lack of power, their stamina lasts longer against other Types of Beyblades, making them naturally advantageous over Defense-Types, which focus on resisting hits. They have sharp cone-shaped performance tips.

3. Balance

These Beyblades specialize in a combination of the other three types listed above, giving them no glaring strengths or weaknesses. They use a mix of Attack, Defense, and Stamina Types put together but do not excel in any particular trait. Some Balance Types have Attack, Defense, and Stamina Modes, and their performance tips can vary.

Stadium

An arena called a Beystadium is sold by both brands Takara Tomy and Hasbro. It is primarily a shallow plastic tub, but may have other features dependent on the purpose of the particular stadium. Different stadiums were released in different markets. Brands Takara Tomy and Sonokong produce Beystadiums similar to those featured in the manga and anime adaptations, with open sections in the walls and openings on the sides to launch into. Hasbro produces stadiums with walls that are about 4.7 inches tall and pockets that count as a ring-out instead.

Common features of a Beystadium include a shallow impression called a cyclone/tornado ridge, which allows Attack type Beyblades to move around quickly without accidentally knocking themselves out, and cyclone/tornado points, which are recessed disks in the stadium floor that spin freely to add randomness to a battle. Other features may be specific to the series that the Beystadium is released in, like the rails from the Beyblade Burst Slingshock toy system, the large, almost bowl-like HyperSphere toy system.

Launching

A Beyblade Launcher (often referred to as a BeyLauncher) is used to launch the user's Beyblade into battle. Select launchers have different levels of power depending on the gears inside of them and the user's own launch strength. Launchers differ in size and shape, with some of them using Ripcords (long sticks of plastic with grips on the end and teeth on the sides to strike the gears that launch the user's Beyblade when pulled) and others using Strings (launchers that are built with a retractable string inside of them that launch the user's Beyblade with slightly more power when pulled). String Launchers are preferred by most players because of their launch power. Different series such as 2000/Original, Metal Fight/Fusion, and Burst launchers cannot be used with others.

Launching is often accompanied by a catchphrase. In the Takara Tomy version, this would be "3, 2, 1, Go Shoot!" (３、２、１、ゴーシュート!); in the Hasbro version, this would be "3, 2, 1, Let it Rip!"[1]

Original Series

The "Original Series" was the first generation of Beyblade tops. They were made entirely of metal in 1970, with the exception of Weight Disks and some Blade Base components. These Beyblades consisted of four basic parts, the "Bit Chip," the "Attack Ring," the "Weight Disk," and the "Blade Base." It had several subsystems, such as:

The "Magnacore" line, featuring magnetic parts to attract or repel tops from each other. Additionally, certain stadiums had points to attach magnets, which affected the movement pattern.

The "Engine Gear" line, which was introduced with the G-series, and replaced the typical "Spin Gear" with a more advanced "Engine Gear," which affects the movement of the top during the battle.

The "Hard/Heavy Metal System" was the last line of Beyblade toys released during the original series. It used smaller pieces made mostly of metal. However, the parts of this system cannot be used in customization with those of past systems.

Metal/Hybrid Wheel System

This system was released in 2008 in Japan under the name "Metal Fight." A sub-system, the "Hybrid Wheel System," was released in 2009 in Japan, and was imported by Hasbro in 2010. The main difference of this sub-system from the earlier Metal System is the replacement of the lone die-cast Wheel with a combination of a plastic "Energy Ring/Clear Wheel" and "Metal/Fusion Wheel". This was done to prevent the breakage of launcher parts.[citation needed] Another system, the 4D system, was introduced in 2011, focusing on slightly more complex parts. The final system, "Zero-G," focused on "Synchrome" tops, replacing certain parts for far heavier variations.

Names of Beyblades can now be determined by their parts. For example, Storm Pegasus 105RF has a 'Pegasus' Energy Ring/Clear Wheel, 'Storm' Fusion Wheel/Metal Wheel, '105(10.5mm)' Spin Track/Track, and an 'RF (Rubber Flat)' Bottom/Performance Tip.

Burst System

These toys are designed so that the top may separate if it has sustained enough hits, which creates a "burst" gimmick due to a spring in the Performance Tip. The Burst System consists of 3 parts, the "Energy Layer," the "Forge Disc," and the "Performance Tip."

Toys R Us started distributing this system in Canada in September 2016[2] and Hasbro started distributing the toys in the United States in January 2017.

As the longest-running Beyblade series, Burst has had considerably more subsystems than its predecessors. These are:

The Dual Layer system, where the layers are made of two unseparable plastic parts.

The God Layer/SwitchStrike system, where each "layer" has its own gimmick, and most "discs" can have plastic frames attached to increase their weight and alter performance.

Takara Tomy's Cho-Z Layer system, in which every "layer" features metal, increasing their weight.

The SlingShock system, which was released instead of the Cho-Z system, featuring tops with different modes, designed to climb special slingshock rails when switched to slingshock mode.

The GT Layer system (GaTinko Layer System), which was released exclusively by Takara Tomy and featured customizable "layers," altering performance. Many "discs" in this system also began to have their own gimmicks.

Hasbro's HyperSphere system, released as a counterpart to the GT system, features large, dome-like "drivers" designed to climb special HyperSphere walls and strike the other beyblades while decending.

Takara Tomy's Superking/Sparking system, which altered the construction of the tops by introducing "chassis," replacements for "discs" that heavily increased weight. In addition, new launchers were released, which gave off sparks when used.

The SpeedStorm system (Hasbro's equivalent to the Superking/Sparking system), features taller tops designed to gain speed or change direction from speedstorm stadiums.

The Dynamite Battle Layer system (the most current iteration of Beyblade), once again features customizable "layers," this time with both a "high" and "low" mode, intended to shift the top's center of gravity. High mode is more aggressive and is easier to knock over. Low mode is more balanced and has more stamina.

The Quaddrive system was released from Hasbro in replacement from the Dynamite Battle layer system. These layers have plastic weights, instead of the metal armours,that allow the beyblade to switch from "Core" and "Apex mode". Their drivers also feature additional pieces that increase the height and varition of how the beyblade moves along the stadium. A new Stadium was also released that features levels of playing feilds that alternate the beyblade path.

Examples of Bayblades:

Beyblade

Tyson Granger (木ノ宮タカオ, Takao Kinomiya) is an enthusiastic young man who loves Beyblade. He begins his journey after befriending fellow Beyblade enthusiast, Kenny, and drawing the attention of Kai Hiwatari, a formidable Blader, after defeating Carlos, the leader of his neighborhood's Beyblade gang, the Blade Sharks. Tyson and Kai develop a rivalry that leads to him discovering that his Beyblade contains a Bit-Beast named Dragoon. Seeking to challenge Kai again, Tyson competes in the Japanese Regional Beyblade Qualifying Tournament and befriends fellow competitors, Ray Kon and Max Tate, both of whom possess their own Bit-Beast.

Tyson Granger

After winning the tournament, Tyson goes on to form a team with Kai, Ray and Max named the Bladebreakers. Kenny tags along as their manager. The Bladebreakers tour China to register for the championships and confront the White Tigers, Ray's former team, who hold a grudge against Ray for leaving them. Toward the end of the Chinese tournament, Ray and his ex-teammates make amends, and the Bladebreakers win the tournament.

Bladebreakers Team

After this, Tyson and his friends arrive in the United States to fight the All Starz, who are coached by Max's mother. After winning the American League, the team finds itself stranded in Europe. They tour Europe and meet Oliver, Enrique, Johnny and Robert, who go by the name Majestics.

The Bladebreakers battle the Majestics and the Bladebreakers win the battle. They then go to Russia for the final tournament. In Russia, they meet Boris's team, the Demolition Boys, of which Kai was also a member of in the past. Kai had forgotten about Boris and the training grounds where he had learned almost everything he knew about Beyblading. However, he soon regains his memory. He finds Black Dranzer, his dream Beyblade, and decides to join the Demolition Boys team, aiming to be the best Beyblader. Tyson finds out and tries to convince Kai to return to the Bladebreakers, but Kai rejects him, throwing his old Beyblade, Dranzer, at Tyson's feet. Tyson keeps Dranzer with him and vows to bring Kai back. Soon, before the finals, Kai challenges the Bladebreakers to steal their Bit-Beasts and become most powerful Blader. However, only Tyson and Ray show up. Max is still at the airport, returning from where he was training with Tyson and Ray with his new Beyblade, Draciel. Just at the moment when Kai seems to be close to taking the Bit-Beasts of Tyson and Ray, Max comes and challenges Kai. Kai thinks that he can easily beat Draciel but he can not, and soon Tyson uses Kai's own old Blade, Dranzer, to beat the Black Dranzer and defeat Kai. Kai, shocked by the power of Dranzer, does not notice the ice beneath him cracking and falls into the frozen water below. Tyson, Ray, Max and Kenny rescue Kai. Realizing the power of friendship as well as the power of Dranzer, Kai returns to the Bladebreakers.

In the final match, Tyson battles Tala, winning the match and becoming a Beyblade World Champion for the first time.

Beyblade V-Force

The Bladebreakers have gone their separate ways. But when Team Psykick and the Saint Shields attack the Bladebreakers and try to steal their Bit-Beasts, the Bladebreakers reassemble to defeat the new enemies. Tyson's classmate Hilary Tachibana (Hiromi Tachibana) joins the Bladebreakers but takes time to learn that Beyblade is not just the stupid game she thinks it is.

In an attempt to steal the four Bit-Beasts from the Bladebreakers, Team Psykick creates four cyber Bit-Beast copies of the Bladebreakers' Bit-Beasts and recruit four skilled bladers named Kane, Salima, Goki, and Jim. These teenagers were pure-hearted and innocent bladers with high ambitions, but the dark power of the cyber Bit-Beasts gradually take over their minds and turn them evil. The first half of the second season ends with the Bladebreakers defeating Team Psykick. Tyson, Ray, Kai and Max battle Kane, Salima, Goki and Jim respectively and defeat them. After the cyber beasts are destroyed Team Psykick come back to their normal selves and regain consciousness. The second half of Season 2 deals with the truth of why the Saint Shields and Team Psykick are after Bladebreakers' Bit-Beasts and about a rock that Max's mother found that contains Bit-Beasts, which is stolen by Team Psykick.

The Saint Shields' reason behind attempting to steal the Bit-Beasts is because they wish to seal them in a rock because they fear that the Bit-Beasts could get out of control like they did in the past. The Saint Shields battle the Bladebreakers and manage to seal Ray's Bit-Beast Driger into a sealing stone. Later Ray reclaims Driger and defeats all the Saint Shields in a team face-off. The Psykick's leader, Dr. Zagart, wants the Bit-Beasts to turn his android son Zeo (an exact replica of his son who died in an accident) into a real human.

After defeating the Saint Shields, Tyson meets Zeo and befriends him without knowing that he is the son of Team Psykick's leader. Zeo is unaware that he is an android and that his father is behind all of Team Psykick's plans. Later Zeo finds out about his past and decides to help his father in his plans. Dr. Zagart gives Zeo a bit beast named Cerberus, the strongest Bit-Beast sealed in the rock. Zeo enters the world Beyblade tournament with the motive of defeating all the Bladebreakers members and stealing their Bit-Beasts. In the tournament, Zeo defeats Kai and Max and steals their Bit-Beasts Dranzer and Draciel. But in the final battle Tyson and Dragoon (Tyson's Bit-Beast) defeat Zeo and Cerberus. In the process, Tyson and Max's team win the world tournament. Dranzer and Draciel come back to their original bladers, Kai and Max.

Beyblade G-Revolution

Kai, Ray, and Max left Tyson and went their separate ways to rejoin their old teams so that they have a chance to beat each other at the World Championship which has been re-designed with tag-teams of two. Max joins the PPB All Starz, Ray joins White Tiger X, and Kai joins the Blitzkrieg Boys. This leaves only Tyson, Hilary, and Kenny on the team. A new character, Daichi Sumeragi, and Tyson's older brother, Hiro Granger, join them. The two other teams involved are the Barthez Battalion and F-Dynasty.

One week after the results of the World Championships, Boris, the secondary villain from the first season, returns and creates the new Beyblade Entertainment Global Association, (BEGA) replacing the BBA. Boris tries to fool Tyson and co. into believing he has made up for his past, while he is actually trying to gain control over all Bladers and Beyblading activity. After a while however, they see what Boris is trying to pull. Tyson challenges BEGA's best to a battle, and Boris decides to hold a 5-on-5 tournament in one month's time. But he declares that all the Beyblade shops must sell Beyblades and their parts to BEGA associated Beybladers only, otherwise they will not be allowed to run the shops.

Tyson and the team find some parts at Max's father's store, which are insufficient. Then after sometime Kenny comes with the solution, he makes a new type of Beyblades known as hard metal Beyblades, using a different type of parts. But they still needed one more blader, and that is when Kai, who tried to join BEGA but lost severely to Brooklyn, disbanded the Blitzkrieg Boys and rejoined the team now known as the G Revolutions. Additionally during the BEGA qualifying matches Kai's former teammates, Spencer and Bryan of the Blitzkrieg Boys defeat a BEGA Training squad but lose easily to a mysterious blader known as Garland Siebald. Tala, the leader of the Blitzkrieg Boys who was previously the final boss in season 1, takes on Garland but lost the match and was seriously injured after Garland activated his attack, Radiant Thunder and ended the match. Daichi and Ray lose the first two matches to Ming-Ming and Crusher only proving that their hard metal blades were also no match for their powerful blades. Max ends the third match with Mystel in a draw. Then it is Kai's turn. He chooses unbeaten Brooklyn as his Opponent. Kai defeats Brooklyn in that match. Then Tyson beats Garland. Brooklyn becomes insane due to his loss to Kai and start having nightmares about Kai. After that, he confronts Tyson. In the ensuing match, Tyson and Brooklyn battle it out in the tie-breaker match. As the final fight rages on, Brooklyn goes berserk and merges with his bit-beast Zeus which threatens to destroy the entire universe. in the end Tyson is able to absorb the powers of every single Bit-Beast and after a final attack, Brooklyn became normal while both blades were still spinning (but the match after that was not shown). And the BEGA corporation had fallen thanks to the efforts of the Bladebreakers (G-Revolutions). The episode ends with Tyson and Kai to have one final match.

In the Japanese version, the episode ends with a special ending showing every major character from the series.

Beyblade Rising

Kai returns to Japan after completing his studies. Tyson learns of this and tries to meet Kai, but when he reaches there he finds that Kai has left beyblading and is now controlling his grandfather's company. Tyson is shocked to hear this. He understands that Kai is abandoning his passion just to keep his grandpa, Voltaire's will. Tyson makes Kai understand and listen to his inner voice. Voltaire at last understands his mistake and allows Kai to carry on his journey. Tyson challenges Kai for a beybattle. Kai is about to be defeated when he uses his beyblading skills and defeats Tyson. Tyson and others are shocked but he is glad to find his friend back to action.

Manga

The chapters of the Beyblade manga were written and illustrated by Takao Aoki. It was serialized in CoroCoro Comic from 1999 to 2004. The manga was licensed for an English-language release by Viz Media.

In 2016, Takao Aoki released a sequel manga called Beyblade Rising (爆転シュート ベイブレード ライジング, Bakuten Shūto Beiburēdo Rising) featuring the original characters, which is currently ongoing. The series is serialized in CoroCoro Anik

Michael Ballack is a German former football player who is highly regarded as one of the greatest players in history. Sportmob brings you the notable events of Michael Ballack life story along with interesting insights into his personal life, so stay tuned and don’t miss it.

Michael Ballack nationality is German. He received numerous awards and titles during his career. He is considered one of the best midfielders of his generation. His great style of play along with excellent Techniques made him a tough opponent to go up against on the field. The former footballer is a product of Chemnitzer FC, and he established himself as a professional player in this club.

The legendary player has a remarkable story of how he got where he is today. He served in big clubs like Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Chelsea. He made a lot of wonders during his career and was named one of the best, numerous times. Stay tuned for an incredible story of Michael Ballack biography.

Things About Michael Ballack Biography,You Probably Didn’t Know

Michael Ballack

The legendary Michael Ballack was named the German Footballer of the Year three times (2002, 2003, 2005). The footballer flourished in Bayer Leverkusen where he got his big break and made a name for himself. It was at this club that Ballack earned his first German Footballer of the Year Award. Find out details about Michael Ballack biography in the following.

Michael Ballack Information

Before we start with Michael Ballack childhood story and his early life we will fill you in with some details and information about the legendary footballer.

Michael Ballack Bio

Full Name: Michael Ballack

Nickname: Little Kaiser

Personal Information

• Michael Ballack Date of birth: 26 September 1976
• Body Measurements
• Zodiac sign: Libra
• Place of birth: Görlitz, East Germany
• Father: Stephan Ballack
• Mother: Karin Ballack
• Michael Ballack Religion: Christian– Catholic
• Marital status: Divorced
• Ex-wife: Simone Lambe (m. 2008–2012)
• Partner: Natacha Tannous (2015–)
• Children: Louis (b.2001), Emilio (b.2002) and Jordi (b.2005)

Football Information

• Height:1.89 m

• Weight:80 kg
• Hair Color: Dark brown
• Eye Color: Blue

Michael Ballack Early Life

Now let’s get into the details of Michael Ballack childhood story. The legendary footballer was born in the German town Görlitz on September 26, 1976, to his father Stephan Ballack worked as an engineer, and his mother Karin, was a secretary. Ballack was an only child. His father was a professional footballer as well. He played in second division football association in Germany. The gifted footballer inherited the passion for the game and probably that was what put Ballack in his path. As a kid he dreamed of one day becoming a professional footballer and play for big clubs.

When he was very young his family moved to Chemnitz. When they arrived in their new home at the age of seven his parents sent him to train with the side. The boy trained in the soccer club Chemnitz however it was two hours away from home, but that didn’t stop the stubborn Ballack from training. As a little boy Ballack showed his ability to use both of his feet with the same control. Find out more details about Michael Ballack biography in the following.

Michael Ballack Profile

Michael Ballack at Chemnitzer FC

Ballack had an amazing journey in football which was full of success, honor and sometimes setbacks. Stay tuned and let’s begin the journey together.

Early Days in Football

Back in 1995, the gifted player signed his first professional contract with the Chemnitzer FC. At the time Ballack was nicknamed “Little Kaiser”, in reference to Franz Beckenbauer, who was nicknamed “Der Kaiser”. He made his debut for the side on 4 August 1995, at the beginning of the new 2. Bundesliga season. During the 1996-97 season despite his efforts and scoring 10 goals, the team got relegated.

Later the footballer joined 1. FC Kaiserslautern. He made his debut for the team in the seventh match of the 1997–98 Bundesliga season, away to Karlsruhe, as a substitute in the last five minutes. On 28 March 1998, Ballack made his first team debut in a game over Bayer Leverkusen. He made a great performance and Kaiserslautern became the first-ever newly promoted team to lift the Bundesliga title. In the next season Ballack became one of the most important players in the team.

Michael Ballack at 1. FC Kaiserslautern

Big break

On July 1999, the footballer joined Bayer Leverkusen while he was 22 years old for an estimated fee of €4 million. It was with Bayer Leverkusen that the talented footballer climbed up the ladder to glory and made his way to the top. He was given an attacking role in the midfield and made a lot of wonders. His role in the team was vital and he managed to score 27 goals in the league and nine in Europe over the course of his three seasons at the club. Back in 2000, in a game over SpVgg Unterhaching Leverkusen needed a draw to win the Bundesliga title.

Michael Ballack at Bayer Leverkusen

However, Ballack scored an own goal and led the team to a 0-2 heavy defeat. Bayern Munich earned the title by a 3–1 victory over Werder Bremen. Following their heavy defeat, the team also endured three failures which were historical and Bayer Leverkusen was nicknamed “Bayer Neverkusen”. Ballack got to the end of the season with 17 league goals which earned him a nomination into the UEFA.com users' Team of 2002 as well as being named German Footballer of the Year. Find out more details about Michael Ballack life story in the following.

Bayern Munich

Ballack showed how gifted he is on the pitch and his performance was praised by pundits. Big clubs like Chelsea and Bayern Munich were interested in signing a contract with the player. Finally, Ballack decided to join Bayern Munich and signed a contract worth nearly €13 million in 2002. During his first season Bayern won the Bundesliga with 75 points as well as the DFB-Pokal. Ballack proved himself worthy and grabbed a brace in a win against his former club 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the latter's final. However, in the following season Bayern lost both of Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal titles to Werder Bremen.

Michael Ballack at Bayern Munich

During 4 seasons with the club Ballack won three Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal doubles, scoring 44 goals in 107 Bundesliga games. However later his performance went down and he was criticized. Franz Beckenbaue got to the point that he accused Ballack of “saving his strength” for prospective employers after Ballack showed an average performance in the 2006 DFB-Pokal final over Eintracht Frankfurt.

On ZDF television channel Beckenbauer stated: “Ballack is just saving his strength for Chelsea, Sometimes I think to myself, is he playing with us or not? The way he runs around the field has little to do with football. He isn't trying anymore and I was waiting for him to be substituted.” Ballack answered: “It doesn't matter what he [Beckenbauer] thinks. I'm delighted about the [cup] title, which is the third in four years. All that matters is we have won, but if Der Kaiser says that..." he added with a smile. Find out further details about Michael Ballack biography in the following.

Chelsea

On May 2006, Ballack joined the English Premier League club Chelsea while there were rumors that other big clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Internazionale and Milan were interested to have him on board but Ballack preferred to sign with Chelsea. However shortly after his arrival at the club he declared that he was thinking about leaving Chelsea. The footballer debuted for the blues in a practice match at UCLA's intramural football pitch. Ballack always preferred the number 13 jersey and Chelsea took the number 13 shirt from their player Gallas and gave it to the German midfielder. This move made Gallas upset and felt that he was underappreciated.

Michael Ballack at Chelsea FC

On 27 August 2006, he made his Premier League debut for the club in a game over Blackburn Rovers. Ballack scored his first goal on 12 September on his Champions League debut over Werder Bremen. Ballack received the first red card of his career for making a move on Mohamed Sissoko in a 1-0 victory against Liverpool on 17 September 2006. Ballack’s first premier League goal came in a game over Portsmouth on 21 October 2006. He also scored his first FA Cup goals on 15 April 2007, in the semi-final against Blackburn. This goal led to Chelsea progressing into the FA Cup final.

Return to Bayer Leverkusen

On 25 June 2010, the midfielder returned to his former club Bayer Leverkusen and signed a two-year contract. On 19 August 2010, he scored the first goal for the club in a 3-0 victory over Tavriya Simferopol in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers. In 2010, the footballer sustained a shin injury during a Bundesliga match against Hannover 96. Bayer Leverkusen declared that Ballack would not play due to his injury. On 20 February 2011, the footballer got recovered and came back and replaced Simon Rolfes in a 4-2 victory over VfB Stuttgart. Ballack scored his second Europa League goal in a 2-0 win over Metalist Kharkiv.

International

Aside from Ballack’s club career the footballer also made lot of wonders on international level. He debuted for Germany national under-21 team against Denmark following his contract with Chemnitzer FC. After his move to 1. FC Kaiserslautern, senior team coach Berti Vogts called him up to join the squad. During the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Ballack scored in the games against the United States and South Korea during the knockout rounds as Germany reached the final. Later he was booked for a tactical foul during the semi-final match over South Korea and he was ruled out for the final which Germany was defeated 2-0 by Brazil.

Following Euro 2004, Ballack took over from Oliver Kahn and became the captain. Ballack managed to score three goals which were all penalties during the 2005 Confederations Cup, in which Germany were eliminated by Brazil in the semifinals. The gifted footballer was named Man of the Match in the games against Ecuador and Argentina, and was included in FIFA's World Cup All Star Team for a second consecutive time. In the first game of Euro 2008 over Poland, Ballack captained the team. He showcased his great features and proved himself to be valuable on the midfield.

Michael Ballack playing for his national country

During the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Ballack scored four goals however he missed the 2010 World Cup due to his ankle injury from a foul by Portsmouth's Kevin-Prince Boateng in the 2009-10 FA Cup final. In the absence of Ballack, young midfielders like Sami Khedira, Thomas Müller, and Mesut Özil showcased their talents. Former German captain Lothar Matthäus stated that Ballack's absence provided the chance for these young players to blossom.

Since the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Ballack hasn’t receive any invitation to international games. It was reported that Germany coach Joachim Löw was waiting for Ballack to announce his retirement. Despite numerous injuries Ballack sustained with Bayer Leverkusen he refused to give up. On June 16, 2011 it was declared that the former midfielder will not be a part of national team anymore. The German Football Association (DFB) invited him to two friendlies in order to reach 100 games for Germany, which he refused, accusing Löw of disrespecting him ever since his injury and calling the invitation to compete in another two games for Germany a “farce”.

Retirement

On 2 October 2012, Ballack officially announced his retirement from football. On 5 June 2013, he played a farewell match at Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena. First Ballack scored two goals in the first half of the game and scored his third goal and the winner in the second half for the World XI.

The teams were coached by Ballack's former Chelsea coach José Mourinho and his former national team coach Rudi Völler. Following the match Ballack stated in an interview: “It was a terrific career for me. I am very, very thankful. Football is very special. The fans make it very special. We are just players, without you there is no voice and without you there is no passion.” Find out more details about Michael Ballack biography in the following.