Chemnitz
Chemnitz
Coordinates	50°50′N 12°55′E / 50.83333°N 12.91667°E / 50.83333; 12.91667Coordinates: 50°50′N 12°55′E / 50.83333°N 12.91667°E / 50.83333; 12.91667
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Saxony
Admin. region	Chemnitz
District	Urban district
Mayor	Barbara Ludwig (SPD)
Basic statistics
Area	220.85 km2 (85.27 sq mi)
Elevation	296 m  (971 ft)
Population	243,248 (31 December 2010)[1]
- Density	1,101 /km2 (2,853 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	C
Postal codes	09001–09247
Area codes	0371 037200 (Wittgensdorf) 037209 (Einsiedel) 03722 (Röhrsdorf) 03726 (Euba)
Website	chemnitz.de

Chemnitz ([ˈkɛmnɪts] ( listen); Upper Sorbian: Kamjenica, Czech: Saská Kamenice; known from 1953 to 1990 as Karl-Marx-Stadt) is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the government region Direktionsbezirk Chemnitz. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is a part of the Saxon triangle metropolitan area comprising 3.5 million people. The city's economy is based on the service sector and manufacturing industry. The Chemnitz University of Technology has around 10,000 students and is the centre of scientific life.

Etymology[link]

Chemnitz is named after the river Chemnitz, a small tributary of the Zwickauer Mulde. The word "Chemnitz" is from the Sorbian language and means "stony brook". In German, "Chemnitz" is pronounced [ˈkɛmnɪts]. It is known in Czech as Saská Kamenice.

History[link]

An early Slavic tribe's settlement was located at Kamienica, and the first documented use of Chemnitz was the 1143 site of a Benedictine monastery, around which a settlement grew. Circa 1170 Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor granted it the rights of an imperial city. In 1307, the town became subordinate to the margraviate of Meissen (the predecessor of the Saxon state). In medieval times Chemnitz became a centre of textile production and trade. More than one third of the population worked in textile production. By the early 19th century Chemnitz had become an industrial centre (sometimes called "the Saxon Manchester"). In 1913, Chemnitz had a population of 320,000 and is one of very few cities which were larger at that time than they are today.

During World War II, Chemnitz included factories that produced military hardware and a Flossenbürg forced labour subcamp (500 female inmates) for Astra-Werke AG.^[2] The oil refinery was a target for bombers during the Oil Campaign of World War II, and Operation Thunderclap attacks included the following raids:

Old and new city hall

Former department store Schocken

The Mercure Hotel, Chemnitz

Burg Rabenstein

Bust of Karl Marx, the city's erstwhile namesake.

• 14/15 February 1945: The first major raid on Chemnitz used 717 RAF bombers, but due to cloud cover most bombs fell over open countryside.
• 2/3–5 March: USAAF bombers attacked the marshalling yards.^[3]
• 5 March: 760 RAF attacked.

The headquarters of the auto manufacturer Auto Union were also based in Chemnitz since 1932 and its buildings were also badly damaged. At the end of the war, the company's executives fled and relocated the company in Ingolstadt, Bavaria—where it evolved into the modern day Audi company of today.

The World War II bombings left most of the city in ruins,^{[citation needed]} and post-war, the East German reconstruction included large low rise (and later high-rise plattenbau) housing. Some tourist sites were reconstructed during the DDR era and after German reunification.

From 10 May 1953 to 21 June 1990, Chemnitz was named Karl-Marx-Stadt (English: Karl Marx City).

Sights[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Tourist sights include the Kassberg neighbourhood with 18th and 19th century buildings and the Karl Marx Monument by Lev Kerbel, nicknamed "Nischel" (a Saxon dialect word for head) by the locals. Landmarks include the Old Town Hall with its Renaissance portal (15th century), the castle on the site of the former monastery, and the area around the opera house and the old university. The most conspicuous landmark is the red tower built in the late 12th or early 13th century as part of the city wall.

A petrified forest can be found in the courtyard of Kulturkaufhaus Tietz. It is one of the very few in existence, and dates back several million years. Also within the city limits, in the district of Rabenstein, is the smallest castle in Saxony, Burg Rabenstein.

The town has changed considerably since German reunification. Most of its industry is now gone and the core of the city has been rebuilt with many small shops as well as huge shopping centres. Many of these shops have well known names, including Zara, H & M, Esprit, Galeria Kaufhof, Leiser Shoes, and Peek & Cloppenburg. The large "Galerie Roter Turm" (Red Tower) shopping centre is very popular with young people.

The Chemnitz Industrial Museum is an Anchor Point of ERIH, the European Route of Industrial Heritage.

The Museum Gunzenhauser, formerly a bank, opened on 1 December 2007. Dr Alfred Gunzenhauser, who lived in Munich, had a collection of some 2,500 pieces of modern art, including many paintings and drawings by Otto Dix, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and others. The Botanischer Garten Chemnitz is a municipal botanical garden, and the Arktisch-Alpiner Garten der Walter-Meusel-Stiftung is a non-profit garden specializing in arctic and alpine plants.

Urban renewal[link]

Heavy destruction in World War II as well as post-war demolition to erect a truly socialistic city centre left the city with a vast open space around its town hall where once a vibrant city heart had been. Due to massive investment in out-of-town shopping right after reunification, it was not until 1999 that major building activity was started in the centre. Comparable only to Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, a whole new quarter of the city was constructed in recent years. New buildings include the Kaufhof Department Store by Helmut Jahn, Galerie Roter Turm with a façade by Hans Kollhoff and Peek&Cloppenburg Clothing Store by Ingenhofen and Partner.

Economy[link]

Chemnitz is largest city of the Chemnitz-Zwickau urban area and is one of the most important economic areas of Germany's new federal states. Chemnitz had a GDP of about €6.3 billion in 2004. Since about 2000, the city's economy has recorded high annual GDP growth rates; Chemnitz is among the top ten German cities in terms of growth rate. The local and regional economic structure is characterized by medium-sized companies, with the heavy industrial sectors of mechanical engineering, metal processing, and vehicle manufacturing as the most significant industries.

Over several years, the unemployment rate has steadily decreased to 13.9% (July 2007). About 100,000 people are employed, of whom about 46,000 commute from other municipalities.^[4] 16.3% of employees in Chemnitz have a university or college degree, twice the average rate in Germany.

Demography[link]

Chemnitz's population since 1790

After the reunification of Germany Saxony faced a significant population decrease. Since 1990 Chemnitz lost more than 20 percent of the inhabitants. In 2006 the BBC reported the city of Chemnitz had the lowest birth rate in the world.^[5]

Transport[link]

Map of tram and Stadtbahn net

Roads[link]

Chemnitz is crossed by the two motorways (Autobahn) A4 Erfurt – Dresden and A72 Hof – Leipzig. The motorway junction Kreuz Chemnitz is situated in the northwestern area of the city. The motorway A72 between Niederfrohna and Leipzig is still under construction. Within the administrative area of Chemnitz there are eight motorway exits (Ausfahrt).

Public transport[link]

Public transport within Chemnitz is provided with tram and bus, as well as by the Stadtbahn. Nowadays, the city and its surroundings are served by one Stadtbahn line, five tram lines, 27 city bus lines, as well as several regional bus lines. At the weekend, and before bank holidays, the city is served at night by two bus lines, two tram lines, and the Stadtbahn line.

The length of the tram, Stadtbahn and bus networks is 28.73 km (17.85 mi), 16.3 km (10.13 mi) and 326.08 km (202.62 mi) respectively.

Airports[link]

Near Chemnitz there are three airports, including the two international airports of Saxony in Dresden and Leipzig. Both Leipzig/Halle Airport and Dresden Airport are situated about 70 km (43 mi) from Chemnitz and offer numerous continental as well as intercontinental flights.

Chemnitz also has a small commercial airport (Verkehrslandeplatz Chemnitz Jahnsdorf) about 13.5 km (8.4 mi) south of the city. When its current upgrade is completed it will have an asphalt runway 1,400 m (4,600 ft) long and 20 m (66 ft) wide.

Sports[link]

• Chemnitzer FC (football)
• VfB Fortuna Chemnitz (football)
• Post SV Chemnitz
• Schwimmclub Chemnitz v. 1892 e.V.
• ERC Chemnitz e.V. (ice hockey, skater hockey)
• CTC-Küchwald (tennis)
• Floor Fighters Chemnitz (floorball)
• ESV LOK Chemnitz (luge)

Famous residents[link]

• Stefan Heym (1913–2001), author
• John Kluge- (1921–2010)- German-American billionaire and media mogul
• Helga Lindner, swimmer; Olympic silver medalist
• Max Littmann (1862–1931), architect
• Anja Mittag, footballer, World Champion 2007
• Frederick and William Nevoigt, founders of the Diamant bicycle brand
• Sylke Otto, luger
• Siegfried Rapp, one-armed German pianist
• Frank Rost, football goalkeeper, currently playing for New York Red Bulls
• Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (1884–1976), painter
• Ingo Steuer, figure skater
• Mandy Wötzel, figure skater
• Michael Ballack, footballer
• Klaus Wunderlich (1931–1997), organist

Honorary citizens[link]

• Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (1884–1976), painter
• Katarina Witt, figure skater
• Waleri Bykowski, astronaut
• Sigmund Jähn, astronaut
• Stefan Heym (1913–2001), German-Jewish writer
• Marianne Brandt, (1893–1983), artist, designer

International relations[link]

Sister cities[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2012)

Chemnitz is twinned with several cities around the world:

References[link]

External links[link]

Look up chemnitz in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Media related to Chemnitz at Wikimedia Commons

• (German) Official site of Chemnitz

v t e Urban and rural districts in the Free State of Saxony in Germany Urban districts Chemnitz Dresden Leipzig Rural districts Bautzen Erzgebirgskreis Görlitz Leipzig Meißen Mittelsachsen Nordsachsen Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge Vogtlandkreis Zwickau Former urban districts Görlitz Hoyerswerda Plauen Zwickau Former rural districts Annaberg Aue-Schwarzenberg Chemnitzer Land Delitzsch Döbeln Freiberg Kamenz Leipziger Land Löbau-Zittau Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis Mittweida Muldentalkreis Niederschlesischer Oberlausitzkreis Riesa-Großenhain Sächsische Schweiz Stollberg Torgau-Oschatz Weißeritzkreis Zwickauer Land

v t e Capitals of the former East German Bezirke East Berlin · Cottbus · Dresden · Erfurt · Frankfurt (Oder) · Gera · Halle · Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz) · Leipzig · Magdeburg · Neubrandenburg · Potsdam · Rostock · Schwerin · Suhl

Michael Ballack

Ballack captaining Germany in 2009.
Personal information
Full name	Michael Ballack[1]
Date of birth	(1976-09-26) 26 September 1976 (age 35)
Place of birth	Görlitz, East Germany
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2 1⁄2 in)[2]
Playing position	Central Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Bayer Leverkusen
Number	13
Youth career
1983–1995	Chemnitzer FC
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1995–1997	Chemnitzer FC II	18	(5)
1995–1997	Chemnitzer FC	49	(10)
1997–1998	1. FC Kaiserslautern II	17	(8)
1997–1999	1. FC Kaiserslautern	46	(4)
1999–2002	Bayer Leverkusen	79	(27)
2002–2006	Bayern Munich	107	(44)
2006–2010	Chelsea	105	(17)
2010–2012	Bayer Leverkusen	35	(2)
National team
1996–1998	Germany U21	19	(7)
1999–2010	Germany	98	(42)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 04:37, 15 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Michael Ballack (born 26 September 1976) is a German professional footballer, who is currently playing for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.^[3] He is among the top goal scorers in the history of his international team. Ballack has worn the number 13 shirt for every team he has played for except for Kaiserslautern. He was selected by Pelé as one of FIFA's 100 Greatest Living Players, and as the UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year in 2002. He has won the German Footballer of the Year award three times – in 2002, 2003 and 2005. In his prime, Ballack was known for his passing range, scoring ability, ball skills and commanding presence in the midfield.^[4]

Ballack began his career as a youth at Chemnitz, his local team, and made his professional debut in 1995.^[3] Although the team were relegated in his first season, his performances in the Regionalliga the following season led to a transfer to Kaiserslautern in 1997. He won the Bundesliga in his first season at the club; his first major honour. He became a first team regular in 1998–99 season and also earned his first senior national cap for Germany. He moved to Bayer Leverkusen for €4.1 million in 1999. The 2002 season saw him win a slew of runners-up medals: Bayer Leverkusen finished second in the Bundesliga, German Cup, UEFA Champions League and Germany lost to Brazil in the 2002 World Cup Final.

A €12.9 million move to Bayern Munich led to further honours: the team won the Bundesliga and German Cup double in 2003, 2005 and 2006. Ballack had become a prolific goalscorer from midfield, scoring 58 goals for Bayern Munich between 2002 and 2006. He joined Premier League club Chelsea in mid-2006 and won his first English honours, the FA Cup and League Cup, in his first season at the club. Injury ruled out much of 2007 but he returned the following season, helping Chelsea reach their first ever Champions League Final. He also went on to win the FA cup again in 2009 and then once more as part of a league and cup double in 2010.

Internationally, Ballack has played in the European Championships in 2000, 2004 and 2008, and the FIFA World Cup in 2002 and 2006. Jürgen Klinsmann appointed him captain of the national team in 2004. Ballack scored consecutive game-winning goals in the quarter-final and semi-final to help his country to the 2002 World Cup Final, and led his team to the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup and the Euro 2008 Final.

Early life[link]

Michael Ballack was born in Görlitz, a town in the historical region: Upper Lusatia and Silesia, present-day in the Free State of Saxony. He is the only child of Stephan and Karin Ballack, an engineer and a secretary. The family moved to Karl-Marx-Stadt when Ballack was very young and it was there that he started to play football.

Club career[link]

Chemnitzer FC[link]

Michael Ballack's parents sent him to train with the side when he was seven years old. He later moved on to FC Karl-Marx-Stadt (renamed Chemnitzer FC in 1990). His father had played second-division football himself in Germany. Unusual for his early age was Ballack's ability to use both feet with equal authority.

In 1995, Ballack earned his first professional contract, thanks to his performances in the role of central midfielder. He was dubbed the "Little Kaiser", in reference to Franz Beckenbauer, who was nicknamed "Der Kaiser". His professional debut came on 4 August 1995, on the first day of the new 2. Bundesliga season. Chemnitz lost the game 2–1, against VfB Leipzig.^[5]

At the end of the season, during which Ballack made fifteen appearances, Chemnitz were relegated to the multi-tiered, regional third division.^[3] On 26 March 1996, Ballack made his debut for Germany's Under-21 side.

The following season, Ballack became a regular first-team player as Chemnitz missed out on an immediate return to the Bundesliga. He did not miss a game and scored ten goals for the "Sky Blues". It was not enough for Chemnitz to be promoted, but in the summer of 1997, coach Otto Rehhagel of just-promoted 1. FC Kaiserslautern signed Ballack at their return to top flight football.

Kaiserslautern[link]

It was during the seventh game of the 1997–98 season, away to Karlsruhe, that Rehhagel decided to throw Ballack into the Bundesliga for the first time, if only for the final five minutes of the encounter.^[6] On 28 March 1998, Ballack made his first-team debut-start against Bayer Leverkusen.^[7]

Ballack made 16 appearances for his new team during the season as the club became the first-ever newly promoted team to lift the league title. In the following season, Ballack became both a regular (he made 30 appearances, scoring four goals in the league) and one of the side's leading players. Kaiserslautern reached the quarter finals of the Champions League, but were knocked out by Bayern Munich.

On 1 July 1999, Ballack moved to Bayer Leverkusen at the age of 22, for a transfer fee of €4.1 million.

Bayer Leverkusen[link]

It was at Bayer Leverkusen that Ballack made his breakthrough. Coaches Christoph Daum and Klaus Toppmöller granted him an attacking role in the midfield. Ballack was instrumental to the success of Leverkusen, scoring 27 goals in the league^[3] and nine in Europe over the course of his three seasons at the BayArena.

In 2000, Bayer Leverkusen needed only a draw against minnows Unterhaching to win the title, but an own goal by Ballack helped send the team to a crushing 0–2 defeat,^[8] while Bayern Munich clinched the title with a 3–1 victory over Werder Bremen.^[9] 2002 was a season of disappointment for Bayer Leverkusen. In the German Bundesliga, the team surrendered a five point lead at the top of the table over the last three games of the season to finish second behind Borussia Dortmund, lost the UEFA Champions League final 2–1 to Real Madrid, and lost the German Cup final 4–2 to Schalke 04. These three runner-up finishes were dubbed a "Treble Horror". And Bayer Leverkusen was dubbed "Bayer Neverkusen" in English, the German nickname became Vizekusen.

Ballack and Leverkusen teammates Bernd Schneider, Carsten Ramelow, and Oliver Neuville were even beaten finalists with Germany in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, although Ballack was suspended for the final itself. Ballack finished with 17 league goals, and his performance over the season led to him being voted into the UEFA.com users' Team of 2002 as well being named German Footballer of the Year.

Bayern Munich[link]

Ballack playing for Bayern Munich in 2006.

In spite of Real Madrid's interest, Ballack decided to sign with Bayern Munich in a €12.9 million deal in 2002 after his impressive performances in the World Cup. Bayern won the Bundesliga in his first season with 75 points, they also won the German Cup. In his second season however, Bayern lost their Bundesliga crown to Werder Bremen along with the cup.

In his third season with the Bavarians, Ballack enjoyed success in the 2004–05 season as Bayern Munich completed another double. New coach Felix Magath stated he was the only automatic starter in their midfield.^[10] In four seasons at Bayern, Ballack won three Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal doubles and scored 47 goals in 135 matches. Between 1998 and 2005, Ballack notched up 61 goals in his domestic league.^[3]

However, Ballack's critics noted his frequent "choking" in important Champions League matches. This resulted in open public criticism from club general manager Uli Hoeneß, communications director Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and club president Franz Beckenbauer, all former Bayern players. Beckenbauer later went as far as to accuse Ballack of "saving his strength" for prospective employers after Ballack turned in an average performance in the 2006 DFB Cup final against Eintracht Frankfurt.^[11]

Chelsea FC[link]

Ballack with Chelsea in 2008.

Ballack agreed to join Chelsea on a free transfer on 15 May 2006.^[12] During his last season as a Bayern player there were rumours of interest from Manchester United, Real Madrid, Internazionale and A.C. Milan,^[13] but Ballack instead chose to go to Stamford Bridge. Shortly after arriving at Chelsea, Ballack stated that he hoped to end his career at Chelsea.^[14]

Ballack's debut for Chelsea came on 31 July 2006, during a practice match at UCLA's intramural football pitch. Chelsea presented him to the media the following day where the club also gave him his favoured number 13 shirt, worn throughout his career. Upon doing so, William Gallas, who previously wore the number 13 shirt for Chelsea, was given the number 3 shirt. This move created animosity between Gallas and the club as Gallas felt that he was underappreciated.^[15] On 27 August 2006, Ballack earned his English League debut for Chelsea against Blackburn Rovers, and made his UEFA Champions League debut for Chelsea against Werder Bremen on 12 September 2006.

Ballack scored his first goal for Chelsea in the later match against Werder Bremen. He received his first straight red card of his career in Chelsea's 1–0 win over Liverpool on 17 September 2006, after being judged to have stamped on Mohamed Sissoko's leg.^[16] Ballack scored his first goal in the English League on 21 October 2006 against Portsmouth at home with a header. His first FA Cup goal came in the 109th minute in a match against Blackburn Rovers on 15 April 2007. This goal resulted in Chelsea progressing into the FA Cup final. He scored eight goals in all competitions for the club in the 2006–07 season, including a free-kick against Everton at Goodison Park, as well as a half-volley against F.C. Porto which sent Chelsea through to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. Throughout his first season at Chelsea, Ballack was criticised for his lethargic performances – for playing as though he had "a huge cigar in his mouth".^[17]

On 29 April 2007, Chelsea released a statement on their official website, informing fans that Ballack had undergone ankle surgery in Munich.^[18] As a result of the surgery, Ballack did not play in the FA Cup Final against Manchester United, which Chelsea won 1–0 through Didier Drogba's extra time goal. This was Ballack's second trophy this season, his first being the League Cup, the final of which he started.

Ballack playing against Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite persistent rumours in the summer 2007 transfer window,^[19][20] Ballack denied that he wanted to leave^[21] and no such move materialised. Chelsea left Ballack out of their Champions League squad for the 2007–08 group stage as they realised that his injury would prevent him from playing any useful part and preferred to select the fully fit Steve Sidwell. The German international had an ankle operation in the summer and Chelsea could not take the risk of him not regaining full fitness before the end of the Group Stage. Thus, Ballack could not play in the Champions League before the knockout stages began in February.^[22] The club was only able to select 23 out of a possible 25 players for their Champions League squad due to the new UEFA regulations on 'association-trained players' and 'club-trained players'. Due to this regulation, Chelsea were also unable to select young player Scott Sinclair and could only pick 23 players as their only 'club-trained player' was John Terry. For this reason, it was deemed unwise to gamble on Ballack being fit at some point.^[23]

Ballack was absent for eight months with an ankle injury, during which he feared that his football career might be in danger of ending as he was getting older. He made his return to the side in Chelsea's 2–0 League Cup win over Liverpool on 19 December 2007. Ballack tallied an assist late in the game to striker Andriy Shevchenko. On 26 December 2007, Ballack made his league return in a thrilling game against Aston Villa which ended 4–4. He came on for Frank Lampard in the 26th minute after the latter had picked up a thigh injury. In first-half stoppage time, he won a penalty after being brought down in the box by Zat Knight, which Andriy Shevchenko converted. In the 88th minute, with the score tied at 3–3, Ballack stepped up to take a free-kick, which he buried into the bottom left corner of the goal, but the match ended in a 4–4 draw.

Ballack captained the Chelsea team in the absence of captain John Terry and vice captain Frank Lampard in a 2–1 win over Newcastle United on 29 December 2007. Ballack then played his 50th game in a Chelsea shirt in a 2–1 win against Fulham in which he scored the winning goal for Chelsea. He also scored the only goal that won the match for Chelsea against Reading to extend the blues' winning streak to a record of nine. And, on 5 March 2007, he scored again, this time against Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 in a 3–0 win. He scored the winning goal in the 2–0 win in the 2nd leg of the Quarter-Finals against Fenerbahçe, a victory that secured Chelsea a place in the Semi-Finals.

Ballack continued to score vital goals and, on 26 April 2008, he scored a header and a penalty to give Chelsea a 2–1 win over Manchester United. He was named Man of The Match for his performance. It brought the two teams level in the race for the Premier League title only two matchdays before the end of the season.

The season ended on a low note for Ballack as Chelsea finished runners up in the League Cup, Premier League and UEFA Champions League. This completed another treble horror for Ballack and his club. On 29 June 2008, Germany, captained by Ballack, lost to Spain 1–0 in the final of the UEFA Euro 2008 championship. This became the second season in Ballack's career that he was runner-up for four major trophies.

Michael Ballack in action against Fulham in 2009.

The 2008–09 season started well for Ballack, he set up Joe Cole to score the first goal in a 4–0 win over Portsmouth in the first game of the season. Ballack was injured shortly after missing the games against Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. Ballack's return from injury has been a lift for Chelsea as he set up Deco to score a scissor kick in a 2–0 win against Bolton Wanderers. Ballack's first goal of the '09 season came against Southend United in their FA Cup replay, a match which Chelsea went on to win 4–1. Ballack's first Premier League goal of the '09 Season came on 11 April 2009 in a match against Bolton Wanderers, ending 4–3 for Chelsea. He came on as a second half substitute as Chelsea won the 2009 FA Cup Final. On 2 June 2009, Ballack signed a one-year contract extension with Chelsea.^[24]

In Chelsea's second game of the season, away at Sunderland, Ballack scored his first goal of the 2009–10 campaign in their 3–1 win. Ballack also scored against Burnley in a 3–0 win. Ballack made his first Champions league appearance for the season against Portuguese side Porto. On 20 September 2009, he scored his third league goal, against Tottenham Hotspur. On 17 January 2010, he scored his fourth league goal and third assist in a 7–2 win against Sunderland. In Chelsea's fifth round FA Cup tie against Cardiff City, Ballack scored the goal which put the Blues back in front and they comfortably saw the Bluebirds home 4–1 in the end. He was sent off in Chelsea's 4–2 defeat against Manchester City on 27 February 2010.^[25] Chelsea went on to win the 2009–10 Premier League, Ballack's first league title in England.^[26] He also started as Chelsea were victorious in the 2010 FA Cup Final, however he would come off injured shortly before half time after a tackle by Kevin Prince Boateng. The injury later meant that Ballack was not able to participate in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.