“You can’t imagine that”
Michael Ballack speaks for the first time about his dead son
March 6, 2026 – 8:29 a.mReading time: 3 minutes
Almost five years ago, Michael Ballack lost one of his three sons. Now the former striker is taking a deep look.
Former German international Michael Ballack spoke for the first time about the death of his son Emilio. In the Sky program “My Story”, which the “Bild” newspaper was present at the recording, Ballack struggled with the words and answered the question of how he learned to deal with the loss: “Difficult.” After a long pause, he repeated the word in the direction of moderator Riccardo Basile.
Emilio Ballack died on August 5, 2021 at the age of 18 in a quad bike accident in Portugal. Ballack explained: “You can’t imagine it. You can’t describe it in words either. It’s a repression process. Everyone deals with it differently.” The three-time Footballer of the Year gave a deeper insight: “I can talk little or nothing about him. I would like to do a lot more, but it emotionalizes me too much.” Then tears welled up in his eyes.
Ballack posted a picture of Emilio on the first anniversary of his son’s death and wrote: “My lovely angel, I remember your laughter, happiness and joy. I remember your light. With a lot of love and many emotions I will pray for your soul today so that it rests in peace.” He concluded with the words: “I hold you close in my heart.”
He tries to “cope with it through everyday life, through many things that motivate you – work, the family, the other sons”. Michael and his former wife Simone Ballack have three sons together: Louis (24), Emilio and Jordi (20). The ex-couple married in 2008 and divorced in 2012 after four years of marriage.
Since the accidental death of his son Emilio, fear for his family has always resonated. “Of course you love your children more than anything and want to give them as much stability and warmth and security in life. That is the responsibility you have as a parent.” A loss like Emilio’s “of course intensifies it even more. Of course you’re more afraid,” says Ballack, who tries “as best as he can” to talk to his other two sons “and to be there for the boys. But it’s just not like it was before.”
Tears once again welled up in Ballack’s eyes as he explained how his perspective on life had changed. “That life is precious. That the life we lead is absolutely privileged. That luck and bad luck also play a big role,” said the former professional, who played in the Bundesliga for Bayer Leverkusen and FC Bayern, among others. “Fate. Call it whatever you want, but things just happen.” Ballack wants to face that. “It gives you strength again, this task and at the same time that life goes on,” emphasized the 49-year-old.
