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Former Chelsea Star Discusses Champions League Heartbreak & His Time at the Club

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Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack has spoken to the club's official website in an exclusive interview, opening up on certain events that shaped his career at Stamford Bridge.

The German spent four years with the Blues, having joined from Bayer Leverkusen in 2006, winning the Premier League title, a League Cup and three FA Cups during his time there.

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Asked what the most heated affair at the Bridge was whilst a Chelsea player, Ballack recalled the Champions League final exit against Barcelona in 2009.

The Blues were quite close to going through to the final through Michael Essien's belter, but after being denied several clear penalties, they would suffer heartbreak at the hands of Andres Iniesta, who scored a late screamer of his own.

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"I didn’t want to choose the negative but it was one of the most heated," the German said. There were a few situations with the penalty appeals and the last-minute goal which knocked us out. 

"We were really in a good shape and expectations were high and the team looked really strong, and with the decision of the referee, the stadium was really cooking. But unfortunately not a good ending!"

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Ballack also reflected on better times, speaking on the 8-0 demolition of Wigan that saw the Blues claim the league title by one point on the final day of the season.

He said: "It was very comfortable, not just that match but for the last four weeks of that season I felt it looked so easy for us. We were playing such good football, such comfortable, dominating football and we scored a lot of goals in that period, with the 8-0 of course in the last match. 

"We demonstrated how much we deserved the league in 2010. Things were going well on a technical level, that was a fantastic period."