Joe Cole names the 'brilliant' midfielder he played with at Chelsea who never got the credit they deserved
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Joe Cole played with some absolutely brilliant players at Chelsea.
Cole worked with the likes of Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and John Terry during his time at Stamford Bridge in a team that was incredibly successful.
Those three were all bona fide legends. Wayne Rooney even called Drogba the perfect striker.
Chelsea had some massive names on their books during the 2000s, and speaking on the Football's Greatest Podcast, Cole has reserved some special praise for one of his teammates he felt didn't get the credit he deserved.
Indeed, Cole says that Michael Ballack was a fantastic player for Chelsea, stating that while some thought he wasn't as good as he should've been for the Blues, he thought he was utterly brilliant.
Michael Ballack was brilliant for Chelsea
Cole spoke highly of Ballack, claiming that he didn't get the credit he deserved during his time at Chelsea.
The former Blues star was full of praise for the Germany international.
Cole and Ballack both left Chelsea at the same time in 2010.
Ballack would return to Bayer Leverkusen, while the England international would sign for Chelsea – Cole actually rejected Tottenham at that time.
"I remember with Ballack, right? Like again, he was another big game player, wasn’t he? Like a lot of people think that his time at Chelsea wasn’t quite as good as his time at Leverkusen, but I thought he was brilliant, Ballack,' Cole said.
How good was Michael Ballack?
As Cole says, Ballack was an underrated player at Chelsea, and, in all honesty, he's one of world football's great underrated players.
Indeed, Ballack is very rarely mentioned in discussions around the best midfielders of his generation, but perhaps he should be.
Ballack's career stats and achievements aren't to be scoffed at.
| Michael Ballack career stats | |
| Club games | 604 |
| Club goals | 152 |
| International games | 98 |
| International goals | 42 |
| Trophies | 14 |
The midfielder was dynamite during the early 2000s, and if it weren't for a Brazil super-team in 2002 he would have led an unfancied Germany team to the World Cup.
Ballack was a world-class talent in his pomp, and while he may have been slightly past his best by the time he arrived at Chelsea, he was still brilliant for the Blues.
Ballack is one of the best players of his generation, and it's a real shame he didn't spend the peak years of his career playing in the Premier League.
