In 1995, Ballack signed his first professional contract. On August 4, 1995, he made his professional debut on the first day of the new 2. Bundesliga season.
During the season, he appeared in 16 games for FC Kaiserslautern, the first newly promoted team to win the Bundesliga. In 1999, he moved to Bayer Leverkusen at the age of 22.
Ballack finished the season with 17 league goals, earning him a spot on the 2002 UEFA.com Users’ Team as well as the title of German Footballer of the Year.
Bayern Munich signed him to a 12.9 million euro contract in 2002. In the 2004-05 season, Ballack had a successful third season. In the Bundesliga, he scored 61 goals.
Ballack joined Chelsea of the English Premier League in 2006. After four seasons with Bayer Leverkusen, he returned to the club in 2010.
He was a two-year member of the club. On March 26, 1996, Ballack made his international debut for the German national under-21 team.
He played for Germany in the 1996 World Cup, the 2002 World Cup, the 2006 World Cup, and the 2010 World Cup.
Also, he competed in the UEFA Euro 2000, 2004, and 2008 tournaments. He announced his retirement in October of 2012.
During Euro Cup 2012, the 2014 World Cup, and Euro Cup 2016, Ballack worked as a studio analyst for ESPN, mostly alongside Alexi Lalas.
