Former midfielder of Chelsea, Michael Ballack, has admitted he regretted leaving the club in 2010 because he decided to retire at Stamford Bridge.
Ballack left Chelsea in 2010, after he was refused a two-year contract extension by the Blues board.
At the time, Chelsea gave Ballack a one-year contract to stick to its club rules.
However, the ex-Germany international returned to Bayer Leverkusen instead of accepting the offer, as he wanted a two-year deal.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Transfer Talk podcast, Ballack said: “Carlo Ancelloti wants me to stay at Chelsea, but the club decided only to give players of that age [30 above] a one-year deal. I wanted two.
“Today, I can say maybe it was wrong. I should have stayed at Chelsea, even for that one year.
“I could never imagine that I would return to Bayer Leverkusen. Until the last day, I actually thought we would find a way at Chelsea.
“I was hoping I could stay until the end [of my career].”
Ballack spent four years at Chelsea and won the Premier League, two FA Cups, the League Cup and the Community Shield.
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