Michael Ballack admits seeing former Chelsea teammate Frank Lampard was a surprise.
Ballack played alongside fellow central midfielder Lampard during the former Germany captain's four seasons at the club from 2006 to 2010, winning the Premier League once and the FA Cup twice.
"When I played with him, I was not thinking that he could be a manager because we were so into our game," Ballack said.
"But from a character point of course he was a leader, he was somebody who was really, really competitive and he really loved football.
"And I think he comes from a family where his dad was playing at a high level, so there was something in the family - and you could feel that in him as a person that maybe after his career he would love to work in football.
"I think it's a fantastic opportunity for him to work at his club and get this opportunity to show his talent as a manager."
