“I am the captain”, Ballack tells Lahm

(GSM) – Germany’s Michael Ballack has insisted he has no plans to relinquish his captaincy after missing the World Cup through injury. Bayern Munchen full-back Phillip Lahm, who captained Germany at the World Cup, declared his interest in keeping the armband.

However, Ballack, who spoke at his official presentation as a Bayer Leverkusen player, reacted angrily to Lahm’s words, insisting that his team-mate should respect the “hierarchies” within the team.

“This is no issue for me. I am the captain,” Ballack told reporters. “If Philipp sees it differently he should perhaps discuss it with the coach.

“A player can’t request on what position he wants to play, and it is the same with the captaincy. One should respect this, there are hierarchies.”

“It is not really serious, but we will touch the subject and then look ahead,” Ballack said.

Ballack, who has arguably been Germany’s top star for a decade, was not missed by his compatriots in South Africa as Germany’s quick style won many admirers and raised questions over whether the 33-year-old should feature in coach Joachim Loew’s future plans.