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oh dear: London houses too expensive says Chelsea's £130,000 a week man

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    oh dear: London houses too expensive says Chelsea's £130,000 a week man

    London houses too expensive says Chelsea's £130,000 a week man
    Last updated at 10:32am on 13th September 2006

    He is the one of the richest players in Chelsea’s squad of millionaires — but Michael Ballack, who earns £130,000 a week, still finds London too expensive.

    The 29-year-old captain of the German national squad has been taken aback by the scale of the capital’s house prices. "London is extremely expensive. It is better to rent," he said, adding: "My family and I have found a house in Wimbledon."

    He likes his new home. "It is central enough for me, you can get to the centre pretty quickly and also to the training ground."

    But he has become aware of the number of speed cameras on British roads and the risk of being flashed in his Audi Q7. "Luckily I have found out where they all are near me," he said.

    Ballack, who scored from the penalty spot in Chelsea’s Champions League win over Werder Bremen last night, also provided a glimpse of his domestic life.

    His sons — Luis, five, and Emilio, six — are packed off to an Englishspeaking school each day in their new uniforms. "It’s a big change for them but they will profit from it in the long run," he said.

    His youngest Jordi, 18 months, is already learning to speak English fluently with him and his long-time partner Simone.

    But Ballack, born and raised in communist East Germany, admits his Russian is better — which should make conversations with club boss Roman Abramovich easier.

    The only son of a civil engineer and a market researcher, he grew up in Karl-Marx-Stadt, where his home was a tiny flat on an estate.

    He has pledged never to forget his roots and visits the town twice a year. But of his new home, he has revealed a taste for that most English of dishes — fish and chips with peas — though he is delighted he can still find German delicacies in English supermarkets.

    As well as improving his English, the midfielder told Germany’s Bild Zeitung, that his ambition was to win the Champions League for his new Premiership club, which he joined in the summer on a lucrative deal after his contract expired at Bayern Munich.

    His performances at this year’s World Cup in Germany and 2002’s competition in Japan and South Korea, when he helped Germany reach a final for which he was suspended, has helped turn him into one of the game’s most sought-after players.

    But he has not always seen eyeto- eye with managers and club officials and his relationship with the sometimes volatile Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho will be fascinating.

    Bayern fans, disappointed by his decision to leave, jeered Ballack in his last game. But he said: "The time has come for me to make this move."

    -------------------

    Makes a difference from tw@tf@ce Beckham whose main talent is in getting stupid haircuts and posing for all sort of promotional crap.

    #2
    Still a talent for making loadsa money though. And getting loadsa bonks if he wasn't married and could do so without a million paparazzi snapping his bum thrrough the window. Loadsa money, loadsa bonks, what else matters? Yeh, I know , I'm shallow.
    bloggoth

    If everything isn't black and white, I say, 'Why the hell not?'
    John Wayne (My guru, not to be confused with my beloved prophet Jeremy Clarkson)

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by AtW
      -------------------

      Makes a difference from tw@tf@ce Beckham whose main talent is in getting stupid haircuts and posing for all sort of promotional crap.
      Atw. He was looking at the best parts of London, not the council flat near Birmingham where you live with the other chavs. Makes a little difference, don't you think?
      I've seen much of the rest of the world. It is brutal and cruel and dark, Rome is the light.

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        #4
        Where on earth did he find an English speaking school in London...?
        Vieze Oude Man

        Comment


          #5
          He's obviously got good taste if he's chosen to move to SW19.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Francko
            council flat near Birmingham where you live with the other chavs. Makes a little difference, don't you think?
            Aye - little is the keyword. This country is really funny when it comes to house buying/selling - key parameters is number of bedrooms, but not actual area they occupy. So 2 bedroom in London is a lot smaller than 2 bedroom in Brum, yet they want a lot more money. So in effect you buy a dog house for price of a castle. Add to this higher income tax rate for over 35k salaries and generally higher London salaries ought to leave a lot less in the pocket at the end of the month - probably a big hole.

            Anyway, everyone in London seems to be very uptight, where as Brum is full is relaxed people, at least in my good area - the only one better is probably in Bournville which is just a few miles away.

            Comment


              #7
              AtW, you live in Edgbaston. I claim my free 2 bed flat (any size you like)!
              It's my opinion and I'm entitled to it. www.areyoupopular.mobi

              Comment


                #8
                Harborne (nicer part of it too, very nice quiet green area, "english" area if you know what I mean) - it is better than Edgbaston on average, though some areas of Edgbaston that border with Harborne has got proper huge houses, but they must be priced over a mil.

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by oraclesmith
                  AtW, you live in Edgbaston. I claim my free 2 bed flat (any size you like)!
                  You must be joking. Unless you mean under one of the benches outside Edgbaston cricket ground. Harborne is his haunt.

                  AtW, Bournville is nice to look at but just bear in mind that Quaker legacy - no pubs, bars, restaurants or takeaways allowed. Not even a fish 'n' chip shop.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Yes, no pubs in Bournville but apparently houses are considerably bigger, and bigger gardens too.

                    Anyhow I don't think there is better place in reasonably central Brum than Harborne/Bourville (which can be disqualified due to lack of pubs): Solihull is way off, and Sutton Coldfield (apparently good, but not sure how leafy it is) is fairly off too.

                    I knew Quakers did not approve of booze, but what's wrong with fish and chips takeaway? I could swear I've seen small high street there while driving by.

                    Comment

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