Michael Ballack has admitted he turned down the opportunity to play in a farewell game for Germany

The midfielder's international career came to a premature end after a challenge in the 2010 FA Cup final ruled him out of World Cup that summer. Michael Ballack has admitted he turned down the opportunity to play in a farewell game for Germany because of how he was treated by the national side's management. After months of claims by the Germany management that Ballack still had an international future, he was finally offered one last game as a send-off.

"It has nothing to do with pride. It is only logical that I turned down the testimonial because I had been kept waiting for 11 months not knowing where I stood. "If they had been open with me and told me their intentions, then I would have been the last person not to cooperate to find a solution. "It would have been fair to discuss things with me, but that didn't happen.