Michael Ballack came through the rankings during his time at German club, Bayer Leverkusen. He moved for a bargain of around £3.5 million on July 1st 1999 and became an instant hit at the club. He was a dynamic finisher at Leverkusen and caused defences all sorts of problems whilst playing in his attacking midfield role. Undoubtedly his finest year at Leverkusen came in 2001/02; he helped Bayern Leverkusen reach the final of the champion’s league and the German cup and a sound position of 2nd in the league. At the closing stages of the season he was a world cup runner up with Germany in the 2002 world cup finals.

Ballack finished of the 2001/02 recording 17 goals for his country and was named in the UEFA champion’s league team of the tournament.