“Alonso’s Leverkusen is great for the Bundesliga and for Bayern” ⚽ Michael Ballack | Up Front
On today’s episode we are joined by one of the greats of German Football. Born in East Germany at a time of upheaval and division, Michael Ballack went on to become a legend for his country, making 98 appearances and scoring 42 goals.
Through playing street football at an early age, Ballack found his love for the game and knew he wanted to become a pro. He came to prominence at Kaiserslautern and was part of the side that did the unthinkable by winning the Bundesliga in 1997. His impressive performances earned him a move to Bayer Leverkusen and individually he continued to excel, as well as his stock amongst Europe’s elite. Collectively however, they failed to win any silverware following two consecutive years of falling at the last hurdle. Ballack would rectify this though, by joining the Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and win multiple titles and cups.
Still eager for more success and new challenges, he swapped Munich for London, joining Abrahmovic’s revolution at Chelsea in 2006, to play under Jose Mourinho. He’d go on to win the premier league and a series of cups before heading back to Leverkusen in 2010, where he’d finish his career.
Michael joins the show and talks about his football journey, opening up on his time at Leverkusen, the exceptionally high standards at Bayern Munich and playing under Jose Mourinho. He also talks about how Xabi Alonso has brought a winning mentality to Leverkusen and how he’s transformed the club, whilst giving his honest opinion on the German National Side and their realistic prospects for the Euros.
#upfront #ballack #bayernmunich
00:00 Introduction to Michael Ballack
00:50 Podcast starts
01:14 Ballack’s background
05:53 Street football vs organised football
10:33 FC Kaiserslautern
13:06 Bayer Leverkusen
22:15 Bayer Leverkusen in 2024
25:21 The 50+1 Rule
30:00 Xabi Alonso
34:11 Bayern Munich
41:33 Chelsea & José Mourinho
54:20 German National Team
01:00:38 Another English golden generation?
As a Leverkusen fan each time you said my team's name was like a stab to the heart
Leverkausen ab jetzt
He's a goddamn idiot because of the fact that he actually has said the name correctly in the past. I have no idea why he does this.
This does in the ears hurt.
Simon not Cow but Koo
Im not even a Leverkusen fan, but I felt the same stab Why does Ballack not correct him? Awful - shows me he has never watched Leverkusen play
I swear we here in Germany owe this man a lot. He took the national team on his back when nothing was going for us. Only world class player we had back then and was great captain. He wasn’t treated the best when his career came to an end.
I live in Germany and I'm honestly stunned by the indifference/hate he gets from regular German football fans my age (mid 30s). The way he was shafted by the DFB/Loew in 2010 after his injury did not sit well with me. He is well spoken in both German and English.
Fantastic player and fantastic leader. Chelsea fans were truly spoiled in the mid 2000s into the 2010s. Just full of top class leaders of men.
They did have Kahn who was world class and Klose 😉 but I get your point that had Ballack played a little later or a generation before he likely would have had international trophies. In 2002, he missed the final due to a technical foul and they suffered against Brazil. A phenomenal player.
One of the best german footballers ever. Had he had the margins on his side he would have ended winning the WC 2002, the euros 2008 as well as the CL 2008 with chelsea and 2002 with Bayer leverkusen. He also was an allround player who could score with both feet and head.
@@FrederickJohnSebastian Khan was world class not Klose
Let's have a drink every time Simon says LeverkAUsen!
Oh it hurts .. Ballack keeps saying it the right way but Simon can't
He could say IT right. Levercoosen
We'd all be shit-faced in 10 minutes.
Let`s here you speak German :)))))
@@pat7963 Leverkusen!!!!
This guy interviewing is uninformed. In the WC semifinal he committed an absolutely necessary tactical foul to prevent a goal at 0:0. He did not get send off as this guy implied but received a yellow card which disqualified him from the possible final. Instead of crying like some english guys tend to do in such circumstances he scored the winning goal 2 minutes later. This guy is a legend.
Exactly 👌🏼
Horrible interviewer. Cuts him off repeatedly. Insults him ( 'but you lost in the finals' etc). Kudos to Ballack for enduring this.
Got 4 times as many subscribers as Boredom Allardyce, Sontaran McAllister and some random woman.
dont watch it then . Go watch some woke interviewer who accepts every answer without challenging them.
@@David-ce1nh only watched it once. Didn't know he was a professional troll. I won't make that mistake again
@@FrederickJohnSebastian👋
Brooo, he's so unlikeable. Has no charm or wits about him, Simon Jordan.
LeverkAusen? Christ, that grates every time he says it!
13:58 Ballack gives him the right pronunciation and he still keeps getting it wrong.
He has no self awareness, its somewhere between his arrogance and his know it all.
The English do that all the time…especially commentators they make little to no effort in pronouncing foreign players names right when its not even hard to pronounce correctly
"the english" wtf? what a ridiculous thing to say.
@@geraldbutterpants5712 yeah true but I've never heard anyone pronounce it wrong like Simon; on this one at least
Simon’s pronunciation of Leverkusen is an absolute shocker, how longs he been around football? Surely never heard another soul say it like that 😅
What do you expect?! He can't even pronounce 'conversation' and 'nonsense' correctly. 😀
@@Daniel-ns1uf"nonsenth"
When Ballack himself said "Leverkusen" that should have been a hint to Simon that his pronunciation was completely wrong, but apparently it wasn't. Wtf 😅Also, I understand when English people don't get the German club names completely right, but I mean "Levercowsen"? What the fuck is that?
He’s doing it on purpose. It’s a British thing. Stupid.
@@gtmr3070funny thing is that he has said leverkusen multiple times before... Also levercowsen. He seems to pronounce it wrongly or correctly on a whim
Him Lampard Essein was honestly a pleasure to watch
Spot on, and a nightmare to play against too.
I love Simon Jordan, but I don’t think listening is his main strength, Balack kept correcting him , but he was hearing LiverCOWson
47. This guy doesn't age. Singlehandedly pulled Germany through the dark ages.
Great interview with Matt Damon
With that accent Matt should have fought for us in "Save Private Ryan"
@tyronevaldez-kruger5313 have you seen the x-rated version? Saving Ryan's privates 😅😅😅
@@tyronevaldez-kruger5313the wrong side won that war, all you have to do is look out the window to see this is true.
😂
My brother and I been saying the same thing for so long 😅
Michael Ballack is the reason I started following and playing football religously. Major respect, Always stepped up especially for Germany.
Ballack was a solid, no nonsense, very talented and tough player. That Chelsea team he was part of was stacked with leaders and captains, and he lead them.
Ballack was my favourite player and idol. I was so obsessed with him after the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. His playing style and leadership qualities were world class. I still have his German National team shirt from the Euro 2008.
Man, one of the best players of his generation... he was the whole package. So well rounded... and hey, he looks amazing!
Simon it's leverKUSEN
Honestly the way Simon says words does my nut in. It's like he wants to different or he's trying to show english people are inept in showing we won't even try to pronounce words properly.
He’s brilliant at lots of things but his pronounciation of loads of names is atrocious
Leicesterkousen
50+1 rule is actually the progressive model compared to the money grabbing Premier League. Football is for the fans not just about money.
Agreed. I appreciate ex-players like Ballack for their insights but when it comes to more complex topics like 50+1 you often can't really expect a very sophisticated answer. The vast majority of the German public and fans supports 50+1 and cares more about integrity than about international competitiveness.
@@MJeezyPineappleTheFruitDude I do like Simon but I do think he looks at Football from just a Business perspective most of the time and that's why he said PL is more 'progressive'. I guarantee if you ask most Football fans from EFL clubs they would love to have the German style system and fandom which the English leagues fail to tap in to. The Germans certainly know how to make their fans feel wanted compared to how the majority of English clubs treat their own supporters. We may have the best quality on the pitch, but something has gone missing along the way in England and it all points to greed and money.
Ballack is a player not a fan. 50+1 may be good for the game but it isn’t for player salaries.
TH£ £PL IS FUCK£D OV£R SP£ND L£AGU£ Points deductions galore 1 horse race fs
"The comfort Zone vs the Delivery Zone". That's José Mourinho 👏👏👏
Something missing when you're not in the same room having a conversation.
What a legend! He carried Germany on his shoulders during our struggles. Lahm and Schweinsteiger learned a great deal from him. Even though he never won a title with Germany, he remains one of the most important players we've ever had, in my opinion.
Ballack was fantastic player and he is a really bright guy
This guy was the only player I saw boss a game at Highbury v Viera and Petit when he was playing for his German team, he was like a quarterback controlled the majority of the game which was rare when we had those 2 in our midfield.
Why did you just make this up lol? These KZhead comment sections are bizarre. We faced Leverkusen long after Petit had left and took 4 points off them including a 4-1 win at highbury…
@@roykeane1922 100% viera played anyway, I was in the west stand, and this guy bossed the game definitely, being a old fucker my memory isn’t what it was
You are probably thinking about blond haired German called Stefan Effenberg
Ballack had crazy goals i remember those long range bangers
Michael Ballack looks like a spitting image of Matt Damon from Bourne movies.
One of my Favourite Chelsea players. Strong player, powerful player, and a great leader also.
I love Michael Ballack he's one of my all time favorite players and impressed with how articulate and well-spoken he is. But I guess that's not surprising considering he's german
I loved how Michael gave a little laughter when he sais Leverk#U#sen after Simon said Leverk#AU#sen the 15th times in the interview, and then Simon just went on with his AU.
An incredible player and perhaps one of the most underrated players this century.
Best quote from Ballack while doing punditry for ESPN for the 2014 World Cup. “John Terry stills owes me a champions league title 🏅” 😂
A really insightful interview with one of the great German midfielders. I really think the secret sauce of European success is the early emphasis on street football, I certainly saw this is the Netherlands where kids cycled everywhere together, where older kids had the responsibility to look after the younger ones, and on the way back from school used to pitch up and play an hour or so, the emphasis on developing technical skills before becoming athletes, and introducing competitive football at a later age so reducing the influence of 'competitive dad's' and focusing on fun and enjoyment before the pressure of the 'win at all costs' of professional football and to play without fear. It would be great to get the views of Bergkamp, Laudrup and other European players who are also coaches and have been managers as well.
LeverKAUSEN. I have never heard them called that. They're in the news lots at the moment so how can someone who earns some of their living discussing sport (mainly football) get the pronunciation so wrong.
I think he does it on purpose,I remember him butchering some Italian team names.
@@Filzzy Yeah one gets the impression he's purposely trolling.
Some people are just bad with names. Even when others say them correctly or even when corrected.
Who the fuck are leather cow son
idk. Sounds like an offspring of a kinky cow in leather
idk. Sounds like an offspring of a kinky cow in leather
idk. Sounds like an offspring of a kinky cow in leather
😂😂😂
Stop talking over your guests ffs Simon, and Ballack was right, you do focus on the negatives
He's become a Media Tart
It becomes painful to listen to after a couple of times.
@@tommyschmid5831 he's got a lot of views I don't disagree with, but equally it appears only his view matters/is valid
Dead right!!!!! He tries to finish their sentences so he can quickly talk again🤦♂️ I like Simon in general but he has a lot to learn when it comes to interviewing someone. We come here to listen to them. The guest is ALWAYS the star..... Or else you're interested wrong job!
Leverkusen!!!! damm, why doesn't he tell him!
He does it silently by doing it by example.
Too polite to tell him he’s saying it so annoyingly wrong.
Why are you all so bothered about how a foreigner pronounces a place/team name? I’m English, and couldn’t give a toss how you’d pronounce our names.
@@DannyG-cv8so No one expects perfection or no accent. But when it is your job to know and talk about teams and players and their names at least get it somewhat right, specifically when you hear others use it so many times.
It's called ignorance or, I don't think that's the case, disrespectful in such a case to be a football expert and not know how to pronounce it correctly. Ballack should have pointed him toward the right spelling as I'm sure he prefers to spell it correctly.
The arrogance of saying Germany got nocked out in the Final, England got nocked out in the group stages! And Leverkusen lost the CL final but was a great achievement to get there, beating Man United on the way
ballack was a top player i always enjoy these interviews with the best
The big guns are out for Simon, great stuff
Thank you for doing this interview! Love Ballack
gret to listen you interview michael legend forever
Love Ballack. Rivalry aside the Germans and us are very similar, I loved it there at the 2006 WC
You got it! Well said!! We are actually historical cousins...Always loved it over there. Greetings from Germany.......Good luck for your EC24
Superb. Thank you both.
Ballack needs to be active at a high level somewhere - he has a great outlook
Believe he's often a pundit over in Germany
@@callumbradke7194sometimes he is a pundit for the German coverage of the Champions League by Amazon Prime
@@callumbradke7194Not really. He may sound more eloquent/ interesting in English because you factor in that he is speaking in a foreign language. He is just as clumsy in German. He is a great footballer not necessarily great to work for the media.
Spot on mate. His football knowledge needs to be taught to young players.
What ALonso is doing with Leverkusen is the best story in football sinse I dont know when. Its jsut fantastic. Of coruse he was somewhat lucky with the new players coming in, but still, to play this sort of season (they have yet to lose a game) is jsut unbelievable.
Since Leicester winning the prem
Leathercowson
Grate interveiw wit michal bollock
Simon “Levercowsen” Jordan
Levacowzun
Great interview Simon talking about Michael`s backgrounds! Keep on with your Podcast..
The Legend Ballack13 ya Love to see it😍👍
Fantastic player and career, great video Simon
when michael says about it being wrong, that you should need a coach to motivate you, is very telling. and he's spot on. you see players now, who havent got that mentality. that fire in your belly. you cant coach that, nor should you need it.
Here before Huw Evans repeats Simons intro for the billionth time
Sir Simon = Top LAD Proper Clobber 💯 Facts
Boring comment
Simon = Top Lad Proper Clobber
Sir LFC Spectre & Sir Simon Jordan = top LADS Proper Clobbers 💯 Facts 👌✊️
@@williamwallace1097 Sir William = Top LAD Proper Clobber 💯 Facts
@@GamerFrisco Sir GamerFrisco = Top LAD Proper Clobber 💯 Facts
Lever cowson
Was probably playing Indians and Cowsons a lot with the boys then.
“Leverkausen” omg
It s nice to see him again. Grew up with him on the German national team and when it was still kind of a magnicent thing to have East and West united.
one of my favorite players ever
Nice interview but could have asked him about the differences in PL players now and then e.g. more great strikers back then. Also how his role #6/8 has changed over the years.
More quality out wide now
The game became extremely athletic and less position-oriented. That’s why Full/Wing backs are one of the most important players in modern football
Best Podcast👍 Thanks Simon Thanks Ballack 👏
Ballack said 50 times how to say Levakusen. Despite this, Jordan proceeded to say it LevAKausen
Michael comes from Eastern Germany and due to his accent he might have some difficulties with certain words spelled in Western German accent. As it is in every country with different accents.
@@pat7963 Not Ballack, Simon Jordan!!
Proud Levercow myself.
great legend michael
Simon needs to be slapped for how he pronounces Leverkusen
Even Rowan Atkinson couldn't have made the LeverCOWsen part more penetrating.
Great interview even if with the wrong pronunciation of Leverkusen 😂
This man, Jose Mourinho! 🔥 🔥
Watching this a day after Bayern and Dortmund just qualified for CL semi final.
50+1 ensures that clubs are firmly anchored in the communities of their respective cities. This is why there are so many fans in German stadiums (the Bundesliga is the number one league in the world in terms of attendances, the 2. Bundesliga is the number five league in the world), because they identify with their club, which is partly theirs as a member. You also have the security of not ending up as a submissive propaganda tool for authoritarian dictatorships (Man City, PSG or Newcastle come to mind).
It might be more stable but it also hinders much needed developments as fans are always able to reject suggestions. In my opinion the Bundesliga could be much stronger if the clubs were managed more professionally and teams were more open for investors (without losing power of the fans). Everything else, infrastructure, fans, geographical position and economic power is already there.
@@davinnicode In my opinion, many Bundesliga clubs, with the limited financial resources they have, are better managed than some Premier League clubs. There, at management/board level, you have ALMOST exclusively football experts working. Ex-players or people who have been in the business for years. That's not always the case in England. In some English clubs often money is just burned...
Simon Jordan, it’s called LEVERKUSEN, not LEVERKOUSEN 😂
If a team's progress is runner up, so be it. Fell in love with Michael B. Wearing flairs ( boot cut) jeans in a champions league magazine program in 2000 The sense back then was youth, expectation, and total commitment. While unlike Jordan here, the European domestic football opened up country wide.
I had to stop at 30 minutes. For fucks sake Simon stop interjecting and finishing off folks point. You in a rush?!
We could all learn a lot from Michael Ballack.
levercowsen
Same with Bayern. We say Bayern Munich but it's actually Bayern Munchen
Thanx Simon. I really enjoy your informative interviews - really entertaining. Dare I suggest you extend your skills into politics?
He's getting the words Leverkusen and Lederhausen get jumbled up in his head
If that’s the best quote you could get from the pod I can’t be bothered to listen
One of the best german footballers ever. Had he had the margins on his side he would have ended up winning the WC 2002, the euros 2008 as well as the CL 2008 with chelsea and 2002 with Bayer leverkusen. He also was an allround player who could score with both feet and head.
Some real hard hitting controversial questions in this one!
The interviewer makes a bit of a fool of himself in regard of being interested enough to pronounce words in other languages properly. Michael is a great player and communicator.
Leverkausen? Leverkousen? Leverkaosen? Leverkoasen? Leverkusen!
In Germany we have different accents, so any pronounciation is right.
Great guest, a true german football leader. We are proud of you Michael Ballack ❤. And simon ur still a Master of Nothing, we are not proud of ya.
Lever kauson
I guess Simon Jordan would never arrive the 24 km from Cologne Airport to Bayer what
I had a good childhood everything was well organised 🤣
It’s Leverkusen not LeverChaosen Simon. You got it wrong 50 times. Even after Michael pronounced it correctly
Not a fan off zoom interviews tbh
me too but maybe there wasn't any choice
right? Our small brains cannot adapt to this
The pig headed ignorance of Jordan on full display as he continuously calls Leverkusen, ‘Levvercowsun’, absolutely astonishing and actually quite disrespectful
Simon with all the respect, the way you pronounced Leverkusen made me sick, love your show though.
i am 54. i also have a girlfriend in the age of 19. thats great michael !
70 percent of comments about the pronounciation of ballack`s ex-club instead of appreciating this great interview.
He also didn't allow Ballack to finish a single answer
🔴⚪️ MB13 BAYERN LEGEND 🔴⚪️
Simon. East Germany also includes Silesia, Ostpreußen, Westpreußen, Posen, Pomerania, and parts of Brandenburg. Also it's Leverkusen.
Even when Michael is saying LevekUsen, Simon insists on getting it wrong
Thats because if he prounounces it correct after Ballack he would have to admit to being wrong, That isnt in his locker at all.
16:58 'Haa Haa' 😂
German football teams according to Simon Jordan Moainz Shaoulka Dartmound Kalan Hembaourg Haufonheim
Am i the only one who gets pissed when he mentions leverkusen as levercalson
Ffs another good show that's gonna be using zoom soon. The most popular stuff on KZhead is when everyone is in the same room!
Ballack mentioning Hoeneß and Rummenigge when joining Bayern is the reason why Bayern is currently in a very difficult time of transformation. Hoeneß and Rummenigge basically are the fathers of success of Bayern Munich. They stepped down from their roles and it left a huge gap in terms of leading such a big club which is difficult to fill for new personnel. Even a legend like Oliver Kahn failed to do it. You could compare it to Alex Ferguson‘s exit at Man Utd.
They are partially responsible for the current crisis (especially Hoeness is) coz he implented Salihamidzic...which was a huge mistake.....a mistake he never admitted.....Salihamidzic was totally overwhelmed with his job struggling through interviews with "ehmmmm" and "ähmmmm". His "greatest transfer" (Mane) was a total flop....he created big problems amongst the players due to him raising sallaries of players who didnt deserve it. Also neither Hoeneß nor Rummenigge were able to just let go. They always Interfere and dont give others a real chance to take over. So YES it is partially their fault too.
Clas player class bloke
50+1 is great. Most people don't support a Champions league club.
بالاك. عملاق.اسطورة.المانية❤❤❤❤❤