Chelsea ace backs England for World Cup

But the 33-year-old believes the The Lions’ history could become a stumbling block for Fabio Capello’s men.

“For me, if you go through the individual players, England have one of the best teams. No doubt,” Ballack told the News of the World.

“When you go through the whole squad and you see where they are playing – Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal – they are all big players at big clubs.

“This shows the qualities they have.

“But then you see the history. When you go to big tournaments like the World Cup or European Championships, you look back and you see you didn’t achieve what you wanted or what your target was before.

“And then that affects your confidence in the tournament.”

He added: “You’ve got to try and get over the history because England has the quality to win the World Cup.

“You have to believe in your ability. Maybe that’s why England have not won in tight situations. Because they don’t believe enough.”