Emilio Ballack was 18 years old, and six days before his death he had posted a photo on Instagram from the family’s vacation home in Portugal. There was no sign it would be the last.
In 2021, Michael Ballack’s middle son died in a quad bike accident on uneven terrain. According to Portuguese police, the vehicle rolled backward and crushed him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 18 years old, had been born in 2002, and his father was one of the greatest legends of German soccer: the captain who led Germany to the 2002 World Cup final and to third place in 2006.
For almost five years, Ballack did not speak. Not a single public word about what he had lost. Only in March 2026, with the soccer world turning its eyes to Germany for the World Cup, did the former midfielder find the voice to speak for the first time about the pain, about family, and about what it means to keep living after burying a child.