Germany captain Michael Ballack

Germany captain Michael Ballack has lost his battle to be fit for Friday's World Cup opener against Costa Rica, manager Jurgen Klinsmann said.

Ballack was forced to pull out of Wednesday's training with his calf injury still troubling him and Klinsmann said his star midfielder would not be available in Munich.

"It seems that Michael Ballack can not play against Costa Rica," Klinsmann said at a press conference Thursday.

"He only trained for 30 minutes on Wednesday and then had to pull out.

"We wanted Ballack on board as he is our captain and leader but it is important that he recovers.

"We want him to get back to full fitness so that he can be fit for the other games in the competition."

Werder Bremen midfielder Tim Borowski and Borussia Dortmund's Sebastian Kehl are expected to step in for Ballack against Costa Rica