Michael Ballack spoke publicly for the first time about the death of his 18-year-old son Emilio, who passed away on August 5, 2021 following an ATV accident in Portugal. In an interview with Sky Sport, the former player revealed the difficulty in dealing with the loss, describing the process as something almost indescribable and a constant exercise in repression: «Difficult. You can’t imagine. I can’t even describe it in words. Everyone deals with it in a different way. I can barely talk about him. I would like to say much more, but it is emotionally taxing.’
Ballack explained that, on a daily basis, he tries to deal with the pain through work and family, finding motivation in his other two children, Louis and Jordi: “It’s a process of denial, in which you try to deal with the situation on a daily basis, through many things that motivate you: work, family, your other children… It’s clear that you love your children more than anything and want to give them as much stability, affection and security in life as possible. That’s the responsibility you have as a father.’
The former German international confessed that Emilio’s death changed his perspective on life: “It’s simply not the same as before.” For Ballack, the experience reinforced the importance of valuing each moment and perceiving life as something precious: «Life is precious. The life we lead is absolutely privileged. Destination also plays an important role. You can call it what you want, but things just happen. Despite all the talk about fate, I naturally want to face it. This task gives me strength again and, at the same time, the certainty that life goes on.”
🗣️ Michael Ballack talked about his son, whom he lost in an accident 5 years ago:
“It’s… difficult. Very difficult. It’s impossible to even imagine something like this, it can’t be described in words. It’s a kind of repression process. Everyone deals with it differently.” (1/2)
— Football from Germany (@almanydnfutbol)
