In an ideal world, every football hero would ride off into the sunset. At the end of a sparkling career, the typical protagonist would have a farewell match in which to bow out of the spotlight to the roars of a capacity crowd. At least, that is the way things ought to be.
In reality, not every hero is fortunate enough to make such an exit. True to the narrative of his career, Michael Ballack will not have a goodbye game for Germany: following a spat with Joachim Low, he was omitted from the coach’s roster to face Brazil on Wednesday in a match that was billed to be his 99th - and final - appearance for the DFB team.
Nine years ago, a younger Ballack missed out on another with Brazil, the 2002 World Cup final. Having carried his unfavoured country through the tournament, the Bayer Leverkusen man was suspended for the match that mattered most. It was a bitter ending to a season in which his club finished runners-up in the Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB Pokal.
Career Statistics:
Age : 34
Position : Midfielder
Caps : 98
Int'l Goals : 42
In reality, not every hero is fortunate enough to make such an exit. True to the narrative of his career, Michael Ballack will not have a goodbye game for Germany: following a spat with Joachim Low, he was omitted from the coach’s roster to face Brazil on Wednesday in a match that was billed to be his 99th - and final - appearance for the DFB team.
Nine years ago, a younger Ballack missed out on another with Brazil, the 2002 World Cup final. Having carried his unfavoured country through the tournament, the Bayer Leverkusen man was suspended for the match that mattered most. It was a bitter ending to a season in which his club finished runners-up in the Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB Pokal.
Career Statistics:
Age : 34
Position : Midfielder
Caps : 98
Int'l Goals : 42
Ballack's fateful spell in 2002 would prove to be a microcosm of his career. He was far and away the best player on a Germany team that lacked individual quality for most of the 2000’s, and played for Bayern Munich during a time when the Bundesliga was in steep decline. With Chelsea, he came a penalty kick away from winning the Champions League; with Germany, a little more luck would have seen him win a major title. By the time German football recovered from its slump, his best years were long passed.
The 2010 World Cup was meant to be Ballack’s last hurrah, his opportunity to finally lead a worthy Germany team to glory. It was his chance to ride off into the sunset a champion at long last. But as it did so many times in his career, fate intervened in the form of an injury that excluded him from his farewell tournament.
If he was in decline in the spring of 2010, Ballack was in freefall after the summer. Persistent injuries and the effects of age relegated him to a bench role at Leverkusen: especially given Germany’s success without him, it was quite clear that the 34-year old’s international career was over.
Low offered the former skipper the chance to ride off into a different backdrop against Brazil, but the player’s frustration and pride saw him decline the invitation, insisting that he retire on his own terms. The sad reality is that his sunset has passed; the veteran now rides off into the darkness.
As unfortunate as it is, perhaps Ballack’s is the most fitting conclusion to an international career of near misses. He almost won the 2008 European Championship, but fell just short. He almost recorded his 100th cap, but did not quite. He almost appeared in a World Cup final, but fate intervened both in 2002 and 2006. And now, he hangs up his international boots under unfortunate circumstances. A cruel ending to a cruel career.
The 2010 World Cup was meant to be Ballack’s last hurrah, his opportunity to finally lead a worthy Germany team to glory. It was his chance to ride off into the sunset a champion at long last. But as it did so many times in his career, fate intervened in the form of an injury that excluded him from his farewell tournament.
If he was in decline in the spring of 2010, Ballack was in freefall after the summer. Persistent injuries and the effects of age relegated him to a bench role at Leverkusen: especially given Germany’s success without him, it was quite clear that the 34-year old’s international career was over.
Low offered the former skipper the chance to ride off into a different backdrop against Brazil, but the player’s frustration and pride saw him decline the invitation, insisting that he retire on his own terms. The sad reality is that his sunset has passed; the veteran now rides off into the darkness.
As unfortunate as it is, perhaps Ballack’s is the most fitting conclusion to an international career of near misses. He almost won the 2008 European Championship, but fell just short. He almost recorded his 100th cap, but did not quite. He almost appeared in a World Cup final, but fate intervened both in 2002 and 2006. And now, he hangs up his international boots under unfortunate circumstances. A cruel ending to a cruel career.
