Germany and Bayern Munich playmaker Michael Ballack has been named German Footballer of the Year for the second time in a row.

Michael Ballack is nearly the only German player of world top class.

The 26-year-old won a vote by sports journalists for the soccer magazine Kicker to be released on Thursday.

Ballack, who helped Bayern to their fourth domestic league and Cup double last season, won 263 votes from a total 867.

Germany striker Fredi Bobic, who staged a remarkable comeback with Hanover 96 and has since joined Hertha Berlin, came second with 167 votes.

Brazilian striker Elber, Ballack's team mate at Bayern and last season's joint top Bundesliga goalscorer, was third with 96.

Felix Magath, who guided VfB Stuttgart to a surprise second place in the Bundesliga for direct access to the Champions League, was voted German Coach of the Year, beating Kaiserslautern's Erik Gerets and Bayern's Ottmar Hitzfeld into second and third.

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