Ballack is relishing years of service at Chelsea

It is an indication of the high esteem in which Michael Ballack is held by his Chelsea team-mates that the Germany midfield player was applauded on to the pitch before training at the Macau Stadium last night, although the fact that he had just returned from his honeymoon may also have had something to do with it.

After the departure of Claude Makelele to Paris Saint-Germain, Ballack has become Chelsea's senior player, which goes some way towards explaining the strength of his reaction to claims from Sir Alex Ferguson that he is part of an ageing team.

The Manchester United manager is not thought to have had Ballack in mind when he signalled an early start to the silly season from the Barclays Premier League champions' tour to South Africa this week, not least because he went to great lengths to try to sign him from Bayern Munich 2 years ago, but that did not prevent the Germany captain biting back with interest. Ballack insisted that Ferguson's comments should not be taken seriously, identifying them as part of the phoney war before the Premier League campaign begins next month.

“Like we always say, it's not about old or young players,” Ballack said. “It's about good or bad players. Of course this team can still improve. If you're 13 or you're 31, you're not old. Look at Maka [Makelele] last season. I think he was 34 or 35, yet he still played a very good season. That's no age for a footballer.



“I don't think he [Ferguson] was talking about me or any other specific player. I think it's just what happens in the summer break - you tickle each other a little bit. What Ferguson said cannot be taken seriously.”

Ballack is confident that Chelsea can prove his point by striking back at United to regain the title this season. Given the 31-year-old's impressive career, it seems harsh to characterise him as a nearly man, although the fact remains that four German titles, three German Cups and a Carling Cup represent a poor return for a player of his ability. Germany's defeat by Spain in the final of Euro 2008 is just one more disappointment to add to a lengthy list of ones that got away, including two Champions League finals and the 2002 World Cup final.

“We'll be a better team this season,” Ballack said. “I think you saw towards the end of the season we were in very good shape. If the season had gone on two more weeks we could have won the league. We are always competitive. United have had two very good seasons. They won the double last year and it was a fantastic season for them, but we were very close. We were behind them by a millimetre and this time we will try to be the first.”

Much of Ballack's confidence springs from the club's appointment of Luiz Felipe Scolari, whom he met for the first time as his manager yesterday. The pair first met at that World Cup final win for Brazil in Japan six years ago and most recently locked horns in the European Championship quarter-finals in Zurich, where Scolari accused Ballack of pushing Paulo Ferreira to score what turned out to be the winning goal for Germany.

“It was the first question we spoke about, whether I pulled Paulo or not,” Ballack said. “He's a nice person, but it's all different now he's my manager. It's difficult to say too much about him yet because he only talked to us for a few minutes. A lot of people have told me there is a very good atmosphere here with the new coach around the team.”

Ballack's personal life is equally harmonious, which is part of the reason he wishes to extend a contract that has one year to run with an option for a further 12 months, although, unlike Frank Lampard, he is not seeking to force the club's hand. No wonder Ballack is so popular.