Michael Ballack says he turned down Manchester United because they weren't good enough

Michael Ballack has always wanted to win the Champions League. It's something which had been a big aim of his since his lost the the 2002 final with Bayer Leverkusen. The team had been up for an historic treble and ended up with nothing, losing the German cup final to Schalke, and the Bundesliga to Borussia Dortmund on the last day of the season.



He then went on to eradicate much of the disappointed for that by winning all the German trophies multiple times with Bayern Munich, but there was still a Champions League shaped hole in his trophy cabinet and when it came to leave Germany that's what he was concentrating on.



Ballack has done a lengthy question and answer session with this months excellent Four Four Two and was asked why he chose Chelsea over Manchester United, he replied:

"Yes, Manchester United wanted me, and it's a good question. They came before Chelsea, but I didn't really have discussions with Sir Alex Ferguson. At this time United were not really good in the Champions League, they had gone out in the first round that year.

"But Chelsea was growing really quickly, so I wanted to be a part of this. I saw we could reach something really, really big in the next few years."

In 2005/2006 Manchester United went out in the group stage, and Chelsea went out in the last sixteen. The previous season Manchester United got to the last sixteen, whereas Chelsea got a semi-final. In Ballack's first season, 2006/2007, Chelsea got to a semi-final again and Manchester United did the same.



Ballack got the chance to fulfill his Champions League dream the year after when his Chelsea side got to the final, but who should they find in their way? Manchester United of course. Ballack scored a penalty in the shoot-out, but it wasn't enough and Manchester United won.



The team he turned down because he was chasing European success managed to wreck his Champions League dream. And there was to be no final chance because the German legend left Chelsea two years before they beat his old club Bayern Munich in the final.



Unlucky Michael.