Beverly Hills (California): Germany midfielder Michael Ballack, sporting a close-cropped haircut and smiling readily, was officially presented to the media with his number 13 Chelsea shirt on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old, who joined the English champions in May on a three-year contract, says he is ready for the challenge of the Premier League and is happy to play anywhere in the team.
Ballack is expected to be rotated in the Chelsea line-up with Ghana's Michael Essien in a three-man midfield featuring top goalscorer Frank Lampard and Frenchman Claude Makelele in the holding role.
"It doesn't really matter where he (Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho) puts me in the team because we all want to succeed," Ballack said at the Beverly Hills Hotel. "I am happy to fit in with whatever is best for the team.
"Chelsea know about my strengths, that's why they picked me. There's great competition in the midfield and I'll just have to do my best."
The Germany captain, who signed for Chelsea as a free agent from Bayern Munich where he was the leading player, is unfazed about moving to a team loaded with big names.
Greater Team
"I don't really mind being less of a leader with Chelsea because I'm part of a greater team," said Ballack, who has spent the last two days training with the English club at the University of California in Los Angeles.
"You can see that with a bigger team like Brazil who have a lot of stars but focus on playing together as a team, rather than on one star."
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The three-times German Footballer of the Year played down any suggestion of a friendly rivalry with Lampard over their respective goal-scoring from the midfield.
"We want to be successful and we don't want to compete with each other," he said. "We all want to work together to become a winning team and I'm glad to be part of that.
"I think Frank is a great player and, just like any other team I've been on, I really enjoy playing with other players."
Ballack, who was approached by Manchester United before he decided moving to Chelsea, is looking forward to the challenge of the next three years in England.
Big Change
"It's a big change for me to move to a foreign country to play in the Premier League for the first time but I was looking for a challenge," he said.
"I am really excited about it. Winning the Champions League is definitely one of my goals but it's not the only one. I want to focus on every match I play for Chelsea."
The English league champions launch their title defence against Manchester City on August 20.
Ballack, who helped Bayern win consecutive German league and cup doubles and six trophies in all during his four years at the club, already feels he belongs to the Chelsea family.
"I have been accepted very well, even though I am still getting to know the other players and the coaching staff," he said.
Being a new signing, however, there is one cloud on his horizon. "I'll have to sing to the team tonight," he said of the Chelsea ritual. "I don't know want I'm going to sing but I hope I can sing it very short."
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