5 German Legends who have graced the Premier League

Modified Feb 27, 2017 12:17 GMT

BLACKPOOL, ENGLAND - APRIL 10: Jens Lehman of Arsenal during the Barclays Premier League match between Blackpool and Arsenal at Bloomfield Road on April 10, 2011 in Blackpool, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) — Lehman played all 38 games in Arsenal’s Invincibles season

#1 Michael Ballack

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 13: Michael Ballack of Chelsea runs with the ball during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on March 13, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) — Ballack experienced a very fruitful 4-year stay with Chelsea

Arguably the greatest ever German to grace the top-flight, Michael Ballack joined Chelsea in 2006 on a free transfer, after establishing himself as one of the world’s best midfielders at Kaiserslautern, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich. His stints at the German clubs saw him win a host of personal and club honours, including UEFA’s Midfielder of the Year in 2002 as well as four Bundesliga titles and three DFB-Pokals.

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While he became infamous for losing finals in the clubs he’d played in, his 4-year stay at Chelsea, however, can’t be classified as anything other than a success.

Choosing the Blues over the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid, he formed a key part of the side that dominated the FA Cup, winning it three times in four years. Cast from the same mould as Steven Gerrard, Ballack had a quality about him that inspired his teammates and pushed them to attain new heights.

He would eventually win the league in his last season with the club in 2009/10 after making over a 100 appearances and scoring 17 goals and would return to Leverkusen to cap off what had been a remarkable career.

Edited by Staff Editor