Michael Ballack’s teenage son killed tragically in quad-bike accident

Michael Ballack’s teenage son, Emilio, has been killed tragically after being crushed in a quad-bike accident near the family’s Portuguese holiday home.

Chelsea, for whom Ballack starred between 2006 and 2010, confirmed the 18-year-old had died in a post on their Twitter account.

“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,” they wrote.

“All our thoughts are with his father Michael and his family at this sad time.”

The teenager was killed in the early hours of Thursday morning in Troia, south of Lisbon, near the Villas do Mar estate.

Firefighters were said to have fought to save Ballack’s son after he became trapped under the quad-bike, which was described as one designed to be used on public roads.

Last week, Emilio posted pictures from Portugal on Instagram, including time spent at the beach with his family.

Days earlier, his older brother, Louis, uploaded pictures to the social media site of his own downtime in Troia as well as writing: “Quads where [sic] flipped, ferries where missed, taste buds where explored and injuries where common.”

The pair was among three sons Germany icon Ballack had with Simone Lambe, who he divorced in 2012, the same year he retired.

They married four years earlier while he was playing for Chelsea, where he won the Premier League, three FA Cups – including the Double in 2010 – a League Cup, and helped them reach their first Champions League final.

He previously won a trio of Bundesliga titles while at Bayern Munich and was also a three-time German Footballer of the Year.

He made 98 appearances for Germany, scoring 42 goals, helping his country reach both the 2002 World Cup and 2008 European Championship finals.