Crowning of the new Kaiser: The making of Michael Ballack

The roller-coaster of emotions that marked his first season in west London are over. Now he is enjoying the ride.

He is smiling again, certain of his place in the team and becoming increasingly popular among the supporters in The Shed. Ballack is a special player with a special talent.

Rewind the tape 12 months, though, and it was a different script. He hobbled off the pitch at Newcastle on April 27, 2007, following a tackle by Titus Bramble and then all bets were off.

Named as one of nine 'Untouchables' by that mischief-maker Jose Mourinho, he became exactly that when it emerged that he travelled to Munich for an operation on his injured ankle.

Mourinho wanted him sacked, Ballack produced a piece of chipped bone the size of a nail clipping in a glass jar and Chelsea ultimately had to issue an apology.

That injury forced him to miss the Champions League semi-final against Liverpool and the FA Cup Final against Manchester United, but the ultimate insult was saved for September.

Mourinho left him out of the 25-man squad for the Champions League group stages, claiming his injury prevented him from playing against Rosenborg, Valencia and Schalke. Ballack was hurt but by then Mourinho was hurtling towards the exit.

Look at Ballack now. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Chelsea skipper John Terry at St James' Park on Monday, dominating the game and dictating the tempo.

He scored their opening goal and played his part in Florent Malouda's second. Ballack remembers that tackle by Bramble last season, but who wouldn't? After all, it almost ended his career at Chelsea.

'The most important thing for me was that I didn't get injured this time,' he admitted on Sunday.

'Whenever you go back to a place where you've been injured you think about what happened last time. Still, I'm happy that we were able to win the game and everything is fine now.'

Chelsea are one game away from glory and Ballack has played his part. The boy from Gorlitz in East Germany has finally settled at Stamford Bridge, accepting the humour of his team-mates who brilliantly nicknamed his white Ferrari 'The Ambulance' when he spent eight months on the treatment table.

He rents a large family home in Wimbledon, close to the All England Club, and has sent his three children — Louis, Jordi and Emilio — to an English school to continue their education.

His long-term girlfriend Simone, whom he will marry when he returns from Euro 2008 with Germany, is close friends with Frank Lampard's partner Elen Rives and the Ballacks regularly attend club functions.

He is an iconic figure in Germany, where he has been Footballer of the Year three times. He shrugged off the comments of former Liverpool and Tottenham defender Christian Ziege, who claimed Ballack was 'acting as if he has already won the World Cup' during Euro 2000. Captain when his country hosted the 2006 finals, he was their player of the tournament.

His status secure, he left Bayern Munich on a free transfer in 2006 to pursue his dream of winning the Champions League. The Chelsea deal was done over sushi with Mourinho, chief executive Peter Kenyon and director Eugene Tenenbaum in Munich.

In return for £130,000 a week, Chelsea had acquired one of the biggest names in the game. He had already won four German league titles but the European Cup had eluded him.

Ballack has been in the final before with Bayer Leverkusen, beaten at Hampden Park by a Real Madrid team boasting Steve McManaman, but was voted the best midfielder in the competition.

He arrived in English football with a reputation to match his achievements but he has only recently found a foothold in this relentless, if unimaginative, Chelsea team.

Leaving him on the bench against Tottenham in the Carling Cup Final was an accident waiting to happen for Avram Grant.

The Chelsea manager made the same mistake at White Hart Lane, leaving Ballack to brood among the substitutes in that 4-4 draw.

He was substituted against Arsenal on March 23 and milked the applause of disbelieving fans at Stamford Bridge — though Grant had the last laugh on that occasion, masterminding a famous 2-1 victory.

Since then he has noticeably stepped up a gear. His opening 45 minutes against Fenerbahce in the Sukru Saracoglu last month was one of the finest performances in the Champions League this season. Now he is a 90-minute man.

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THE MAKING OF MICHAEL BALLACK

Michael Ballack's performances during his career in Germany were so good that fans likened him to 'Kaiser' Franz Beckenbauer. After spells with Chemnitzer, Kaiserslautern, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich, his trophy haul included four championships and three cups.

He was also the country's player of the year three times.

Before joining Chelsea on a free transfer two years ago, his scoring ratio for Bayern was better than a goal every three games and he arrived at Stamford Bridge after leading hosts Germany to the World Cup semi-finals.

After an inauspicious start, he is being hailed as the new Kaiser here. He has overcome injury and won over Chelsea fans with 16 goals, many in key matches.