(CNN) -- Germany captain Michael Ballack is used to the huge pressure soccer can bring after a long career competing for major honors on the domestic and international stage.





The midfielder has won four league titles in Germany, three while at Bayern Munich, and can boast two English Premier League successes and two FA Cup's with current club Chelsea.





Yet there is one thing missing from Ballack's impressive CV: success with his national team.





The 33-year-old was in the German team beaten to the trophy by Brazil at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, then on home soil in 2006 his side were knocked out in the semifinals by eventual winners Italy.





Ballack also skippered Germany to second place at the European Championships in 2008, losing 1-0 to Spain in the final.





But, as he told CNN Sport's Alex Thomas, he is hoping to lead his side to glory in South Africa in what will be his last World Cup.





CNN: There have been so many great German footballers down the years, it must be hard when you become first of all an international, and then captain of your country. It's not the same as being captain of a smaller country -- Germany has such a record, do you feel that extra weight and pressure?





Ballack: To be honest it's not a pressure, it's an honor to be captain of Germany and when I became it in 2004 I was really proud that I could make the step to be captain after Oliver Kahn. There were so many good captains during the years, we have such a great history in the country and to be part of this makes me proud. Also it's pressure because you have to have success, you have to win games, you have to win titles and that's what it's all about in our country because it has a great history. Hopefully we can carry on.





CNN: Does it make you laugh, you play your football in England now and we're always up in arms if England make it to a quarterfinal or a semifinal, and Germany seem to make it to the final every time. It's completely different.





Ballack: Not every time, but most of the time we can do it. A lot of people in England ask me how can you do this with your country because sometimes we go into a tournament and we are not the favorites but we can always do well, and that's a quality we have. I don't know where it comes from, maybe the history, but we can be really concentrated during the tournament, and especially in the big events most of the time we've done really well.





CNN: You're coming up to your third World Cup, how has the experience in 2002 and 2006 affected how you will approach the next one?





Ballack: Experience is always important. I played in 2002 and 2006, once I finished second, once I finished third, so one place improvement maybe. When we get into a tournament it's always step by step, we have to think from round to round. Obviously it's the last one I will play so it gives me big, big motivation to play a good tournament this year. I think it's a bit similar to the past that when we go in the tournament we have a good team. We played a good qualification, but we are not one of the top favorites so maybe it plays a little into our hands. We have quite a young team, and if there is not too much pressure on the team maybe it will help the team a little bit.





CNN: You've had two great honors now, or you will have. You've had playing a World Cup on home soil in Germany and we're coming up to the first World Cup to ever be held in Africa -- you've been lucky with how your career's been timed.





Ballack: Yeah, absolutely. To play a World Cup in your own country as a captain is not normal. When we saw the draw in 2001 or 2002 that we had
Who plays midfield for Germany? The Chelsea star will represent his country in what? Which club does Ballack play for? Who talked to CNN Sport about World Cup 2010?
Michael Ballack World Cup. Chelsea. Michael Ballack
question: Who plays midfield for Germany?, answer: Michael Ballack | question: The Chelsea star will represent his country in what?, answer: World Cup. | question: Which club does Ballack play for?, answer: Chelsea. | question: Who talked to CNN Sport about World Cup 2010?, answer: Michael Ballack