Former Chelsea and Germany star Michael Ballack has spoken about the death of his 18-year-old son for the very first time.
Ballack, 49, enjoyed a stellar career that spanned more than 15 years, playing for the likes of Chemnitzer FC, FC Kaiserslautern, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.
The former midfielder won four Bundesliga crowns and one Premier League title, among other trophies.
Away from the pitch, Ballack had three children with his ex-wife, Simone Lambe, named Louis, Emilio and Jordi.
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However, in August 2021, Ballack's world was turned upside down after Emilio passed away at the age of just 18.
Emilio died after his quad bike tipped backwards and crushed him following a family barbecue in Portugal.
As per the Daily Mail, local police stated that Emilio had been riding his quad bike on uneven land.
After firefighters pulled him free of the wreckage, medical personnel attempted to revive Emilio, but he was sadly confirmed dead at the scene.
Recently, in a 'My Story' interview with Sky, Ballack was asked about how he dealt with losing Emilio.
He said: "Difficult. Difficult. You can't imagine it. You can't even describe it in words. It's a process of repression. Everyone deals with it differently. I can hardly talk about him at all. I'd like to say much more, but it overwhelms me emotionally."
At this point, Ballack was visibly emotional as he continued: "That's why it's a process of denial, where you try to cope through everyday life, through many things that motivate you – work, family, your other sons.
"Of course, you love your children more than anything and want to give them as much stability, warmth, and security in life as possible. That's the responsibility you bear as a parent."
Ballack added: "Such a loss naturally intensifies that even more. Of course, you then have greater fears. What else could happen?
"Life is precious. That the life we lead is absolutely privileged. That luck and misfortune also play a major role. Fate. You can call it what you want, but things just happen. Despite all the talk of fate, I naturally want to face it. That gives me strength again, this task, and at the same time, the realisation that life goes on."
Marcus Chan