MICHAEL BALLACK has accused Chelsea medical staff of trying to hide the full extent of his ankle injury. The Blues midfielder, fit again after eight months out, insists it was TWO weeks before Chelsea finally admitted the knock was serious. And the Germany captain has lifted the lid for the first time on how the ankle problem came close to wrecking his career.Ballack suffered the injury in a Titus Bramble challenge at Newcastle in April. In a clear pop at Chelsea, he blasted: “Doctors can also make mistakes. But then you must not try and turn the facts, try to forget about your own mistakes and put the player into a bad light. “But in the end Chelsea made it clear — unfortunately two weeks late!
“At the beginning of my injury break I constantly had to deny rumours which were created by misleading comments from the doctors. “I kept hearing that the ankle surgery had not been necessary at all. I had to justify myself, which was really hard for me. “And on a club level I heard a few remarks made behind my back which were really disappointing for me.
“That was the worst thing in the first week after the surgery that it was reported: Ballack underwent surgery without reason and without permission. For two weeks I had to read this rubbish everywhere. “Those claims are untrue and the development of the injury proves that. The necessity of the surgery has been confirmed.” Ballack has suffered several setbacks on his road to recovery and has only just returned to full-time action after undergoing two operations on the ankle injury.
He caused a massive row at Stamford Bridge when he underwent surgery in Germany without the clubÂ’s full knowledge back in April. Former boss Jose Mourinho went ballistic when told the surgery meant Ballack would be ruled out of the rest of last seasonÂ’s campaign and a long part of this season too. Ballack went ahead with the surgery despite MourinhoÂ’s pleas for a delay, notifying ChelseaÂ’s medical staff a mere hour before his operation, only to require more surgery over the summer.
Chelsea were equally bemused as to why the procedure was carried out by Ludwig Seebauer, a doctor who specialises in shoulder complaints. Ballack, who has started just 23 league games since signing from Bayern Munich in May 2006, initially picked up the problem on April 18. He was replaced by Jon Mikel Obi after just 18 minutes but claims he was told by ChelseaÂ’s medical department that the injury was not serious.
The complaint ruled him out of contention for the Champions League semi-final against Liverpool three days later, but he was reassured he could face Bolton on April 28. Instead, Ballack felt his ankle was deteriorating and he flew to Munich for a second opinion at the renowned clinic of Germany national team doctor Hans Muller- Wohlfahrt the day before the Bolton game.
An X-ray detected a piece of chipped bone that was impinging on a nerve and Wohlfahrt advised the German midfielder to have the operation to stop any further complications. But almost immediately Ballack was rocked by a series of stories that he had put himself first and not his new Chelsea team, who had again crashed out of the Champions League semi final to Liverpool.
They also blew their chance of lifting the Premier League title for a record-busting third time in a row. The 31 year old, who signed a lucrative four-year contract worth around £6.75million a season after he left Bayern Munich, was so annoyed at the innuendos he confronted other senior Chelsea players. They were understood to be concerned he had gone ahead with the apparently unnecessary surgery.
He added: “After my return to London I told the team the truth about it.” Ballack also insists it was his maturity that got him through the grind of rehab when he constantly questioned his own playing future. He said: “You start thinking about it if there is no progress for weeks and there are always setbacks. You ask yourself: Was that it? “But I’m the type of guy who would say: ‘Okay, you have to deal with it, you’ve had lots of good years’. A world would not have fallen apart for me. “I am 31 years old and my family gives me the fundamental for my life. At the age of 20 that would have been different. “It was very difficult for me because I was told it would take three or four weeks and then I could play again. Then I had the first surgery and then holidays.
“I expected to return to practice after a little break but it did not get better and I had to undergo a second surgery. “No doctor could tell me when I could return and what the diagnosis was. It was always like: Wait a week and wait a week and wait a week. “But of course I watched the Chelsea games and the Bundesliga — that was my motivation to see the lads playing. “I told myself: ‘I want to be a part of it again’.
“That’s why I got up each morning and drove to the rehab. The awareness that I have lots of tasks left and that I still want to accomplish something kept me going.”
