A young Ballack had already shown glimpses of his immense potential in football, and this led to him joining FC Karl-Marx-Stadt (renamed Chemnitzer FC in 1990) in 1988. Thus he followed his father's footsteps, who used to play in the German second-division.

7 years later in 1995, Ballack earned his first professional contract with Chemnitzer. He was even nicknamed as  "Little Kaiser" At the time, which was in reference to German great Franz Beckenbauer.

Ballack's time with Chemnitzer wasn't the most successful one, even though the German midfielder shined individually. Despite his best efforts, the club ended up being relegated to the third division. They failed to get promoted in the following season as well. This also ultimately led to Ballack's exit from the club, as another German club snatched him from Chemnitzer.

Let us now look at the rest of Ballack's time in the Bundesliga.

The Kaiserslautern years

It was in the summer of 1997 that Kaiserslautern manager Otto Rehhagel signed Ballack from Chemnitzer. The German midfielder eventually made his debut as a sub during the 7th match of the 1997–98 Bundesliga season.

Ballack ended that season with 16 appearances, in a historic campaign that saw Kaiserslautern become the first ever promoted side to win the Bundesliga. The German midfielder eventually became an integral part of the side, and even guided them till the Champions League quarter-finals. They were however, beaten by German rivals Bayern Munich in the quarter-final tie.

After just 2 years at Kaiserslautern, Ballack made the switch to Bayer Leverkusen for €4.1 million on 1st July 1999.

The treble horror

Ballack’s time at Leverkusen saw him develop into the next level as a footballer. Coaches Christoph Daum and Klaus Toppmöller both gave him necessary attacking freedom in the midfield, which ended up being a success. The German midfielder scored a total of 36 goals during his three seconds at the club.

The year of 2000 was a heartbreaking one for the player, as Ballack went from hero to villain. Despite only needing a draw to win the Bundesliga title, Leverkusen and Ballack suffered a 2-0 defeat against SpVgg Unterhaching. To make matters worse, Ballack scored an own goal.

Leverkusen’s infamous 2001–02 season is known as the  “Treble Horror”. The German club suffered one of the biggest heartbreaks in football history as the season concluded. They bottled their five-point lead in the Bundesliga, lost the DFB-Pokal final to Schalke, and even lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid. It was also the year Ballack and several of his German Leverkusen teammates suffered defeat in the 2002 FIFA World Cup final against Brazil.

Despite a horrifying end to such a promising season, Ballack’s contributions saw him named as German Footballer of the Year.

Bayern move, homecoming, and retirement

Ballack signed for Bayern Munich in 2002 for a €6 million transfer fee. He also made this switch despite Real Madrid’s interest in him. The German midfielder went on to win 3 Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal doubles during his 4 years at the club. He also scored 44 goals in 107 Bundesliga appearances.

A major criticism during Ballack’s time at Bayern were his underwhelming contributions in important Champions League games. This even resulted in several club members openly criticizing the player. Ballack ultimately left Bayern in 2006.

After spending the next 4 years at Chelsea, Ballack returned to Leverkusen for one final stint. He spent 2 years in his homecoming at Leverkusen,

Ballack announced his retirement on 2nd October 2012. A farewell match was played in his honour at Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena. The Match was graced by some of the biggest names in football history, as the Beautiful Game bid farewell to one of its magical stars.