MICHAEL BALLACK - GERMANY

Date of birth: Sept. 26, 1976
Birthplace: Gorlitz, East Germany
Club: Bayern Munich (Germany)
Position: Midfielder
International debut: April 1999 vs. Scotland

Michael Ballack's ascension from East German wunderkind to one of European soccer's greatest stars will be completed this summer when he captains the German national team at the World Cup on home soil.

An elegant midfielder who carries the ball with style and grace, Ballack serves as Germany's conductor on the field — he orchestrates the attack and everything flows through him.

The midfield playmaker is strong with both feet, makes darting runs into the penalty area with the ball and can score goals with the best of them. Quite simply, he's the backbone of the German attack.

Ballack is a complete midfielder — a ball-winning battler, with pinpoint accurate passing skills, goal-scoring prowess and the ability to unlock defences with his scintillating runs. Whether playing deep in the midfield hole or just behind the two strikers, Ballack draws constant attention from opposing defenders whenever he's on the field.

Ballack made his pro debut in 1995 in the German second division with Chemnitzer FC. The club was relegated at the end of the season and spent the following campaign in Germany's multi-tiered, regional third division. Ballack became an influential starter for Chemnitzer by scoring 10 goals and though he couldn't help the club win promotion, he did earn a move to first-division club FC Kaiserslautern.

He ended up playing 16 games in his first season for Kaiserslautern as the newly promoted club won the German league title in 1998. The following year, Ballack became a regular starter — scoring four goals in 30 games — and established himself as one of the side's top players.

1999 proved to be a monumental year in Ballack's career: The 22-year-old made his debut for the German national team and he moved to Bayer Leverkusen in a 4.8-million euro transfer. It was with Leverkusen that his career really took off, as he started to develop into the influential playmaker he's become today.

In three seasons with Leverkusen he scored 27 goals and firmly established himself as one the best midfielders in the game. His best campaign came in 2001-02 when he scored a remarkable 17 goals and led Leverkusen to the final of the Champions League. He was also named the 2002 German player of the year.

With several clubs now courting him, Ballack decided the time was right to leave Leverkusen and he signed a multi-year deal with Bayern Munich, the top club in the history of German league soccer.

But before playing for his new team, Ballack jetted off to Asia to play for Germany at the 2002 World Cup. Ballack saw limited action at Euro 2000, but the 2002 World Cup was his international "coming out" party.

After scoring three goals against Ukraine in a playoff that the Germans had to win to qualify for the tournament, Ballack dazzled fans and opponents alike in South Korea and Japan with his brilliant play. His excellent form and leadership helped a decidedly average German team reach the finals.

Unfortunately, his country was robbed of his services when he picked up his second yellow card in the semifinals, ruling him out for the final.

After the World Cup he made his debut for Bayern Munich. Even though he had to adapt to a more defensive role on the team, he still scored 10 goals as Bayern won to the German league title and the German Cup final. Ballack was again voted German player of the year.

Following a disappointing 2003-04 season, Ballack redeemed himself by scoring 13 goals the next year as Bayern won another German league title and another German Cup. Ballack was also voted German player of the year for a third time.

This past season, Ballack guided Bayern to yet another German Cup double. With his stock at an all-time high, Ballack, out of contract at the end of the season, signed with London super club Chelsea in May.

Before he conquers England, though, he'll be looking to conquer the world in Germany.