<p>Former Germany captain Michael Ballack announced his retirement at the age of 36 on Tuesday to end a career in which he played for Bayern Munich and Chelsea and helped his country reach the 2002 World Cup final.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Ballack, who returned to Bayer Leverkusen in 2010 but was left without a contract after last season, had been linked with a possible move to the United States or Australia.<br /><br />"At the age of 36 I can look back at a long and wonderful time in professional football which I did not dare dream of as a child," he said in a brief statement. "It was a privilege to have worked with top coaches and fantastic team-mates. Obviously I will miss playing in front of 80,000 people or scoring a goal."<br /><br />A strong physical presence in midfield with a powerful shot, Ballack, who won 98 caps for Germany, got his breakthrough at Kaiserslautern and in 1998 helped them win the Bundesliga title, the first promoted team to do so.<br /><br />A three-year spell at Bayer Leverkusen ended in 2002 with the team imploding and narrowly failing to win the Bundesliga.</p>
<p>Former Germany captain Michael Ballack announced his retirement at the age of 36 on Tuesday to end a career in which he played for Bayern Munich and Chelsea and helped his country reach the 2002 World Cup final.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Ballack, who returned to Bayer Leverkusen in 2010 but was left without a contract after last season, had been linked with a possible move to the United States or Australia.<br /><br />"At the age of 36 I can look back at a long and wonderful time in professional football which I did not dare dream of as a child," he said in a brief statement. "It was a privilege to have worked with top coaches and fantastic team-mates. Obviously I will miss playing in front of 80,000 people or scoring a goal."<br /><br />A strong physical presence in midfield with a powerful shot, Ballack, who won 98 caps for Germany, got his breakthrough at Kaiserslautern and in 1998 helped them win the Bundesliga title, the first promoted team to do so.<br /><br />A three-year spell at Bayer Leverkusen ended in 2002 with the team imploding and narrowly failing to win the Bundesliga.</p>