The news that Michael Ballack will sign for Chelsea today couldn’t have been released at a better time.
With the Premiership celebrations just about having died down after the parade yesterday and with the World Cup less than four weeks away, Chelsea have managed to keep the momentum going with this latest superb acquisition. Also, the fact that the press conference arranged for today has helped divert some of the media attention away from Liverpool after their FA Cup win won’t be lost on some supporters.
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Whilst accepting that it probably wasn’t a deliberate ploy and that Chelsea were determined to get the deal closed before Ballack joined up with the German national squad, it wouldn’t surprise me if such things went on elsewhere. I can recall back in 1997 after Chelsea had won their first major silverware for twenty-seven years, the tabloids the following day were swamped, not with tales of our day but with the news that Eric Cantona had retired from football.
The news left a bitter taste after such a glorious day, therefore, I can’t help but think that in Liverpool a few joyous Liverpool supporters will be a little miffed. After thinking they were closing the gap and wrongfully thinking they could mount a Premiership challenge they now find the Blue machine preparing to march onwards and upwards next season.
Off course, the media are bound to harp on about the extortionate wages Michael Ballack will be paid, rumoured to be in the region of £125,000 a week but that can, off course, be offset by the fact that the German captain will not cost a single penny with regard to a transfer fee thanks to the Bosman ruling.
Ballack is off course the biggest German name to arrive in English football since Jurgen Klinsmann signed for Tottenham Hotspur. Jurgen joined in a blaze of publicity and with the media focussing on his sometimes theatrical diving antics proceeded to celebrate his opening goal in English football with a full-length dive in front of an applauding Hillsborough.
Our latest signing, whilst not prone to the same suggestion as his national coach, has already plunged to the Stamford Bridge turf on one occasion. In our dramatic Champions League match against Bayern Munich, Ballack was instrumental in obtaining the last minute penalty that gave Bayern a vital away goal that kept the tie alive.
On that occasion it was his compatriot, Robert Huth, that led the protests and the hefty shove on Ballack let the Bayern captain know exactly how Chelsea felt about the decision. Ballack showed his customary cool to slot the penalty past Cech.
It is all now however water under the bridge and the Stamford Bridge faithful will hope that Michael Ballack will be instrumental in Chelsea getting to, and hopefully winning, that first Champions League Final.
Michael Ballack, welcome to Stamford Bridge.
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