Although he was left ultimately trophyless at the end of the club season, Michael Ballack can help Germany win UEFA EURO 2008™ and be the tournament's most influential player according to team manager Oliver Bierhoff.
Ballack the key
Bierhoff was part of Germany's last UEFA European Championship triumph in 1996, scoring both goals in the 2-1 final win against the Czech Republic. The 40-year-old says his countrymen can win the trophy again and feels the key to a successful campaign will be the form of the Germany captain. "Ballack has all the qualities you need [to be the tournament's leading player] and could grace the stage of such a big tournament," said Bierhoff, who added that Ballack's recent disappointment at missing out on both the UEFA Champions League and English Premier League with Chelsea FC will spur the midfielder on. "He sees the chance to win a title, something that he missed out on over the last few weeks."
Perfect preparation
However, Bierhoff – who won 70 caps during his international career – recognises that Ballack has plenty of competition if he wants to be the star turn this summer. "There are a lot of other well known individuals who can be the top player and in every tournament there is one surprise player who makes an impact." As for the team itself, the former striker is pleased with every aspect of the stay so far. "The two training fields are superb and the players feel very comfortable in the hotel. They are doing a lot together, not going off on their own. Moreover, we have 23 healthy players at the moment. This is something that obviously pleases our coaches but doesn't make it any easier for them to settle on a starting eleven for Sunday's match."
President's view
German Football Federation president Dr Theo Zwanziger is also optimistic but knows it is too early to start talking about lifting the Henri Delaunay trophy. He said: "We have laid all the foundations for success but that's absolutely no guarantee. Now is not the time for big talk, we have to convince on the field. The first match against Poland will be extremely hard – of course they will put in maximum effort. However, even in respect of this I think we'll win. I see a large selection of good players has come together as a team – as one entity. So I expect, like millions of Germans, a good tournament for our team, playing attractive football. We have a big chance to win the title, but at the same time we have the greatest esteem for all other sides. In this tournament there will be 16 nearly-equal teams."
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