Ballack out of Germany squad

Captain Michael Ballack has pulled out of Germany’s squad for Wednesday’s friendly against Belgium after picking up a foot injury yesterday.

The Chelsea midfielder limped out of the 4-0 Barclays Premier League win over Portsmouth and telephoned Germany coach Joachim Low soon after to say he would miss the clash in Nuremberg.

Ballack is the third midfielder to pull out of the squad through injury, following Werder Bremen’s Torsten Frings and Schalke’s Jermaine Jones.