Ballack charged with speeding in Spain

Madrid: Spanish police said on Thursday they caught former Germany captain and Chelsea star Michael Ballack speeding on a highway in Spain — reportedly at 211km per hour.

“He was detained for excessive speed yesterday afternoon (Wednesday),” near the town of Trujillo in eastern Spain, a civil guard spokesman in the nearby city of Caceres told AFP by telephone.

A court official in Trujillo said Ballack, 36, went before a local judge on Thursday morning and challenged the charges, meaning he will be summoned to appear before a judge in a Caceres criminal court at a later date.

The officials, who asked not to be named, declined to give further details, but Spanish media said Ballack was accused of driving at 211 km/h in a 120-km/h zone, in an all-terrain Audi.

Ballack announced his retirement on October 2, having won 98 caps for Germany whom he led to the semi-final in the 2006 World Cup, and winning English and German league titles with Chelsea and Bayern Munich.