Michael Ballack believes his move to Chelsea has turned him into a more ruthless player.
The Germany captain joined the club on a free transfer from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2006 but failed to settle in his first season at Stamford Bridge.
The midfielder is now playing some of his best football for the Blues as they prepare for their Champions League final against Manchester United in Moscow next week.
But the experienced 31-year-old admits he's been forced to alter his playing style in order to save him from becoming anonymous in a team of superstars.
"Playing for Chelsea I have to be more ruthless than in the German national team where I've managed to earn myself a different status over the years," Ballack said.
"But it also means that I'm expected to make decisions on the pitch - it's different at Chelsea.
"We have six captains from national teams on our side - John Terry for England, Didier Drogba for the Ivory Coast, Andriy Shevchenko for the Ukraine, Petr Cech for the Czech Republic, Claudio Pizarro for Peru and me for Germany, as well as quite a few top international players.
"It goes without saying that everyone is forced to show some restraint so as not to jeopardise our success. But you have to face the challenge.
"You have to make people sit up and take notice of you otherwise you just go under in a team like this, you're just devoured by the machine. And so I've become more ruthless.
"But I wanted to play with all these stars - come hell or high water. Just to be able to prove that I could meet the challenge was well worth the battle for me.
"And now I can say, whatever happens, I've accomplished something. At the same time, I was never worried that I wouldn't succeed."
The more ruthless Ballack is already planning on ending a six-year European nightmare when his side face United.
He was part of the Bayer Leverkusen side defeated by Real Madrid in 2002 and admits he could not face losing another final.
"I just desperately want to win this trophy," Ballack added.
"I don't want to look back on my career at some point and say: 'what a pity, I came close a few times, but it was never good enough'.
"We outplayed Real and we lost 2-1. We defeated ourselves in that match. Occasionally I think back on it. That's the way it is in football.
"We'd played a fantastic season with Leverkusen and in the end, we squandered everything, even the German Championship and the German Cup. You are rarely rewarded in this sport, and sometimes you are brutally punished.
"But the feeling is just growing about what it would be like to actually hold the trophy in my hands.
"At some stage it fills you up entirely, your whole way of thinking the closer you get to the day of the match. And that's as it should be. You have to be totally focused and greedy about winning the cup."
