Ballack undergoes foot surgery

Midfielder facing a fortnight on the sidelines

By Chris Burton   Last updated: 17th October 2008

Ballack undergoes foot surgery

Ballack: Injury setback

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The German Football Federation have confirmed that Michael Ballack has undergone surgery on both feet.

The Chelsea midfielder had the operation in Augsburg on Friday after complaining of discomfort in his feet following Germany's midweek victory over Wales.

The national skipper played the full 90 minutes of the 1-0 World Cup qualifying success, but has paid the price for his international endeavours.

The 32-year-old was already struggling with a calf problem prior to the Welsh contest and has now suffered a further setback.

Rehabilitation

The German FA revealed that Ballack was forced to have an operation to remove a neuroma, a benign nerve tumour, from both his feet.

He now faces a fortnight on the sidelines as he recovers from the surgery, ruling him out of crucial domestic and European action for Chelsea.

"An MRI scan on Thursday confirmed our suspicions of a neuroma, so after speaking with the club doctor, manager and coach at Chelsea we decided to operate immediately on both feet," confirmed national team doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt on the German FA's official website.

"If the recovery goes normally, Michael will probably be able to return to training in two weeks."