Ballack defends Leverkusen return

(GSM) – Germany captain Michael Ballack has defended his move from Chelsea to Bayer Leverkusen as he sets his sights on winning more silverware with the Bundesliga club.

The former Blues player completed his return to Leverkusen on Friday, penning a two-year contract with the side where he first rose to prominence between 1999 and 2002.

But Ballack parted ways with Bayer in disappointment, with defeat in the Champions League final, a runners-up spot in the Bundesliga and an agonising DFB-Pokal final loss.

However, the 33-year-old has vowed to put things right by winning trophies.

“We want to win the league in the near future,” he said. “My ambitions are still very high. I have always been playing to win trophies over the last decade and we can do that with Bayer too.

“Of course Bayern are the top favourites, but there is such great potential here in Leverkusen and we should also go a long way in Europe.”

Ballack has spent the last four years in England with the Blues, but he admitted he was not tempted to remain abroad when he learnt his contract was not going to be extended.

“As soon as I knew I was leaving Chelsea, our first thought was to return to Germany,” he told Bild. “That is our home and we are happy there. We should settle there for the future.”