Andre Schurrle has revealed that it had been an ambition of his to play for Chelsea ever since seeing his German compatriot Michael Ballack in a Blues shirt.
The versatile forward moved to Stamford Bridge on a five-year contract this summer from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth around £17m.
Schurrle has described Ballack, who played for Chelsea between 2006 and 2010, as his "idol" and has admitted that he has fulfilled a dream by following in the retired midfielder's footsteps.
"I had this dream for a long team and it was a dream to play for Chelsea and not for another club," he told Sky Sports News.
"I saw Michael Ballack play here and he was my idol, so it was a dream to come here - it was a specific Chelsea dream.
"It was a big time for the club, so many big players here, they had six or seven national team captains and I enjoyed watching it, and I remember watching them in semi-finals against Barcelona, I had it in my head I wanted to achieve this and get there and I am happy it comes to this."
Twenty-three-year-old Schurrle has yet to score for Chelsea in 10 appearances this season.
Joe Fish
