On 26 March 1996, Ballack debuted for the Germany national under-21 team against Denmark, shortly after signing for Chemnitzer FC.
In all, he played 19 matches for this side, scoring four goals.
Then, following his move to 1.
FC Kaiserslautern, senior team head coach Berti Vogts called him up to the squad.

Ballack's first senior Germany appearance, however, did not come until 28 April 1999, when he came on as a substitute for Dietmar Hamann in a match against Scotland.

Ballack only played 63 minutes at UEFA Euro 2000.
In the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he scored in matches against the United States and South Korea during the knockout rounds as Germany reached the final.
However, he was booked for a tactical foul during the semi-final match against South Korea and was suspended for the final, which Germany went on to lose 2–0 to Brazil.
He was included in the World Cup All Star Team.
Ballack missing the final ultimately led to a lasting revision of the yellow card amnesty rule in order "to give the best players a chance to play in the final".
Following Euro 2004, Jürgen Klinsmann replaced Rudi Völler at the helm of the national team and Ballack took over from Oliver Kahn as captain.
He scored three goals — all penalties — in the 2005 Confederations Cup, in which Germany were eliminated by Brazil in the semifinals.

In the 2006 World Cup, he was unable to start in Germany's first game against Costa Rica due to a calf strain, but appeared in the following five matches.
Germany were eliminated in the semi-finals, but they managed to clinch third place in a match against Portugal.
He was named Man of the Match in the games against Ecuador and Argentina, and was included in FIFA's World Cup All Star Team for a second consecutive time.
After the tournmanent, Klinsmann stood down as national team head coach and was succeeded by assistant Joachim Löw.

Ballack started and captained Germany in their first game of Euro 2008 against Poland.
He proved to be an influential figure in the midfield as Germany came back from a shock defeat to Croatia to make it to the final, scoring a free kick against Austria to secure Germany a 1–0 win and a place in the quarter-finals.
In the quarter-finals, he scored a header against Portugal to make the score 3–1 in their 3–2 win after an assist by Bastian Schweinsteiger's 60th minute free-kick, helping Germany to advance to the semi-finals.
Germany went on to beat Turkey 3–2 in the semifinals.
Prior to the final, Ballack sustained a calf injury but eventually overcame it in time.
Germany, however, ended up losing 1–0 to Spain.
Nevertheless, he was named in the Team of the Tournament.

Ballack scored four goals in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, but missed the 2010 World Cup after suffering an ankle injury from a foul by Portsmouth's Kevin-Prince Boateng in the 2009-10 FA Cup final.
Ballack did travel to South Africa to provide moral support for the national team but he departed after Philipp Lahm, who was appointed team captain due to Ballack's injury, commented after the quarter-finals that he would not relinquish the captaincy back to Ballack.
Team manager Oliver Bierhoff criticized Lahm's comments and clarified the situation, saying, "Philipp Lahm is the World Cup captain and Michael Ballack is still the captain."

Germany played strongly in the tournament despite Ballack's absence, including a 4–1 win over England and a 4–0 win over Argentina en route to finishing third, thanks to emerging midfield talents such as Sami Khedira, Thomas Müller, and Mesut Özil.
Former German captain Lothar Matthäus suggested that Ballack's absence had allowed these young players to blossom.

Since the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Ballack had not been called up for any international matches.
It was reported that Germany coach Joachim Löw was waiting for Ballack to retire from international football after the 2010 World Cup, however Ballack refused to give up despite a rash of injuries suffered in 2010–11 with Bayer Leverkusen.
On 16 June 2011, it was announced that Ballack would no longer be a part of the national team.
The German
On 26 March 1996, Ballack debuted for the Germany national under-21 team against Denmark, shortly after signing for Chemnitzer FC. In all, he played 19 matches for this side, scoring four goals. Then, following his move to 1. FC Kaiserslautern, senior team head coach Berti Vogts called him up to the squad.
Ballack's first senior Germany appearance, however, did not come until 28 April 1999, when he came on as a substitute for Dietmar Hamann in a match against Scotland.
Ballack only played 63 minutes at UEFA Euro 2000. In the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he scored in matches against the United States and South Korea during the knockout rounds as Germany reached the final. However, he was booked for a tactical foul during the semi-final match against South Korea and was suspended for the final, which Germany went on to lose 2–0 to Brazil. He was included in the World Cup All Star Team. Ballack missing the final ultimately led to a lasting revision of the yellow card amnesty rule in order "to give the best players a chance to play in the final". Following Euro 2004, Jürgen Klinsmann replaced Rudi Völler at the helm of the national team and Ballack took over from Oliver Kahn as captain. He scored three goals — all penalties — in the 2005 Confederations Cup, in which Germany were eliminated by Brazil in the semifinals.
In the 2006 World Cup, he was unable to start in Germany's first game against Costa Rica due to a calf strain, but appeared in the following five matches. Germany were eliminated in the semi-finals, but they managed to clinch third place in a match against Portugal. He was named Man of the Match in the games against Ecuador and Argentina, and was included in FIFA's World Cup All Star Team for a second consecutive time. After the tournmanent, Klinsmann stood down as national team head coach and was succeeded by assistant Joachim Löw.
Ballack started and captained Germany in their first game of Euro 2008 against Poland. He proved to be an influential figure in the midfield as Germany came back from a shock defeat to Croatia to make it to the final, scoring a free kick against Austria to secure Germany a 1–0 win and a place in the quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals, he scored a header against Portugal to make the score 3–1 in their 3–2 win after an assist by Bastian Schweinsteiger's 60th minute free-kick, helping Germany to advance to the semi-finals. Germany went on to beat Turkey 3–2 in the semifinals. Prior to the final, Ballack sustained a calf injury but eventually overcame it in time. Germany, however, ended up losing 1–0 to Spain. Nevertheless, he was named in the Team of the Tournament.
Ballack scored four goals in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, but missed the 2010 World Cup after suffering an ankle injury from a foul by Portsmouth's Kevin-Prince Boateng in the 2009-10 FA Cup final. Ballack did travel to South Africa to provide moral support for the national team but he departed after Philipp Lahm, who was appointed team captain due to Ballack's injury, commented after the quarter-finals that he would not relinquish the captaincy back to Ballack. Team manager Oliver Bierhoff criticized Lahm's comments and clarified the situation, saying, "Philipp Lahm is the World Cup captain and Michael Ballack is still the captain."
Germany played strongly in the tournament despite Ballack's absence, including a 4–1 win over England and a 4–0 win over Argentina en route to finishing third, thanks to emerging midfield talents such as Sami Khedira, Thomas Müller, and Mesut Özil. Former German captain Lothar Matthäus suggested that Ballack's absence had allowed these young players to blossom.
Since the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Ballack had not been called up for any international matches. It was reported that Germany coach Joachim Löw was waiting for Ballack to retire from international football after the 2010 World Cup, however Ballack refused to give up despite a rash of injuries suffered in 2010–11 with Bayer Leverkusen. On 16 June 2011, it was announced that Ballack would no longer be a part of the national team. The German
Michael Ballack