Former Germany midfielder Michael Ballack’s 18-year-old son, Emilio, died in a quad-bike crash near Lisbon, Portugal, on Thursday, Setubal’s emergency services said.
A spokesperson for the emergency operations told Reuters that Emilio Ballack died at 2:17 a.m. (9:17 p.m. ET) in the holiday destination Troia, south of Lisbon. The teen was involved in a four-wheel crash.
Firefighters and police officers rushed to help, but he died at the scene. Psychologists were also there to provide support to the family.
Chelsea, where Michael Ballack spent four years of his career, tweeted: “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. All our thoughts are with his father Michael and his family at this sad time”.
Emilio Ballack was born in 2002 to Michael Ballack’s then-girlfriend Simone Lambe. The former Germany captain has two other sons from his relationship with Lambe, born in 2001 and 2005.
