Michael Ballack criticises Leroy Sané after performance against Benfica | OneFootball

Former German national team captain Michael Ballack, who made 98 appearances and scored 42 goals for Germany at the international level in the 1990s and 2000s, spoke about current German national team player Leroy Sané, and his performance in Bayern's 0-1 defeat to Benfica, on the German-language DAZN broadcast of the match.

Ballack said about the 29-year-old winger from Essen, who will be moving to Galatasaray before the next Süper Lig season starts in Türkiye in August, that “he simply needs too many chances. That has been a consistent theme throughout his time with Bayern. Today, everything is finally being served to him on a platter - so what are his strengths and weaknesses? The question really is, what sporting value did this selection have?”.

Ballack then analysed his overall play: “There remains a major drawback in his game. He is a brilliant footballer with brilliant ideas, but the final step has not happened here at Bayern. It was similar to Manchester City, where Pep [Guardiola] let him go back then; Bayern welcomed him gratefully, because of his incredible talent. It is only natural that every coach has the confidence to acquire and develop a player like him”.

He then adds, “He [Sané] has tremendous talent, but he is still missing something that the elite players of the world have: that is the concentration, that is the charisma, that is the seriousness to handle scoring chances responsibly. He had three brilliant chances, alone, in front of the Benfica goal, and he just could not score to help his team”.

Ballack also criticised Vincent Kompany's selections, saying that the young players needed experience at this tournament and did not get it, with players like Sané taking their place instead: “The young players could have possibly gotten playing time, or they could have seen how far they have progressed on an elite stage like this. But here, too, Sané, for example, was allowed to play through”.

The 48-year-old finished his comments by giving an overall summary, after stating that it was the right time for Bayern and Sané to end their five years together: “This is a player that has been blessed with everything: tempo, technical sophistication, timing, and a brilliant left-footed ability. But there is also this Sané that sometimes seems lethargic, disoriented, and probably does not want to be that way, even though it comes across in his style of play”.

“Not indifferently (in his style of play), but this laissez-faire attitude in the form of the missed chances he has, or even in his actions: ‘Do I run back now, or do I seem apathetic?' So, there was always this contrary Leroy Sané”.