Soccer Star Michael Ballack's Son Emilio Dead at 18 After Quad Bike Accident
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The sports world is mourning the death of Emilio Ballack, the 18-year-old son of soccer star Michael Ballack.
A spokesperson for Portugal's Setúbal emergency services told Reuters the teen died at 2:17 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 5 after being involved in a quad bike accident in Troia. The news organization reported firefighters and police officers rushed over to help but that Emilio died at the scene.
Chelsea Football Club, which Michael play for from 2006 to 2010, expressed its condolences shortly after the news broke. "Everybody associated with Chelsea Football Club is shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Emilio Ballack at the terribly young age of 18," a tweet from the team read. "All our thoughts are with his father Michael and his family at this sad time.
FC Bayern, which Michael was a part of for from 2002 to 2006, also stated it was "united in grief with its long-serving player and his family."
Celebrity Deaths: 2021's Fallen Stars
"The news about Emilio's death shook me deeply," CEO Oliver Kahn added in a statement on the organization's website. "There are no words at a time like this. FC Bayern's thoughts are with our former teammate Michael Ballack and all his family."
Chemnitzer FC, which Michael played for in the '90s, paid tribute on social media, as well. "Chemnitzer FC expresses its deeply felt sympathy for the Ballack family," a statement translated by the BBC read, "and wishes all relatives a lot of strength in this difficult time."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">😢 Geschockt & mit großer Trauer hat der <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChemnitzerFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChemnitzerFC</a> vom Unfalltod von Emilio <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ballack?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ballack</a> erfahren.<br><br>Der <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CFC</a> drückt der Familie sein tiefempfundenes Mitgefühl aus & wünscht allen Angehörigen viel Kraft in dieser schweren Zeit.<br><br>In tiefer Anteilnahme<br>der gesamte Chemnitzer FC. <a href="https://t.co/slLFi2mHjG">pic.twitter.com/slLFi2mHjG</a></p>— Chemnitzer FC (@ChemnitzerFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChemnitzerFC/status/1423291620804333581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Michael and his ex-wife Simone Lambe welcomed Emilio in 2002.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Everybody associated with Chelsea Football Club is shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Emilio Ballack at the terribly young age of 18. <br><br>All our thoughts are with his father Michael and his family at this sad time. 💙</p>— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChelseaFC/status/1423265655118311424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
They're also parents to sons Louis, 19, and Jordi, 16.
