Germany and Chelsea legend Michael Ballack has been photographed looking happy and in love with his late son Emilio’s 21-year-old friend, almost two years after the 18-year-old was killed in a quad bike tragedy.
Ballack, 47, was photographed hugging his girlfriend Sophia Schneiderhan as they strolled through Chelsea, London, the neighborhood the star used to call home during his playing days.
In another image, Ballack was seen leaning in to make out with model Schneiderhan as they held hands.
The two are believed to have become particularly close after Ballack’s son, Emilio, was killed in a fatal quad bike accident in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2021. Schneiderhan was a close friend of Emilio’s, and the couple have been in love ever since. .
Friends of Ballack and Schneiderhan have previously shared that they believe the relationship has been a good one for the former footballer and that neither was bothered by the 26-year age difference.
Ballack was seen leaning in for a kiss with model Schneiderhan as they held hands in Chelsea, London.
Michael Ballack has been photographed looking happy and in love with his late son Emilio’s 21-year-old friend, nearly two years after the 18-year-old was killed in a quad bike tragedy.
The two are believed to have become particularly close after Ballack’s son Emilio (pictured with his father) was killed in a fatal quad bike accident in Lisbon, Portugal in 2021.
The son of former Chelsea midfielder Emilio (pictured with his father) died in a tragic quad bike accident in Lisbon in 2021
The tragic death of 2021 occurred when Emilio’s ATV flipped over backwards and crushed him.
Emilio was the middle of Ballack’s three children with his ex-wife Simone Lambe. The couple married in 2008, but they had already been together for a long time, welcoming their first child in 2001. They divorced in 2012.
Police said at the time that Emilio had been riding on uneven ground when the bicycle rolled backwards and fell on top of him around 2 a.m. on August 5, 2021, at the Villas do Mar family farm, near the city of Troia, which is just south of the capital, Lisbon.
Firefighters attended the scene and pulled him out of the crash before medics tried to revive him. His efforts were in vain and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The accident occurred at the family home. The driver of the quad was not on a public road and his was the only vehicle involved,” an officer told Portuguese media at the time.
The Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Noticias reported that Emilio was reversing off the property on his quad when he had his fatal accident.
After the terrible tragedy, Ballack and Schneiderhan grew closer as they mourned the loss of a son and a friend.
Schneiderhan works as a model after being spotted for talent at an early age.
The model’s father, Reihard, is a spinal surgeon and former surf school boss, who once owned three surf schools in La Garda in southern France. He has written three books on back pain and practices throughout Germany.
Ballack, 47, was photographed with his girlfriend Sophia Schneiderhan on his arm as they strolled through Chelsea, London.
The two were photographed in Chelsea, London, the neighborhood the soccer star used to call home during his playing days.
The two are believed to have become particularly close after Ballack’s son, Emilio, was killed in a fatal quad bike accident in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2021. Schneiderhan was a close friend of Emilio’s, and the couple have been in love ever since. .
Friends of Ballack and Schneiderhan have previously shared that they think the relationship has been a good one for the former footballer.
Ballack and Schneiderhan’s friends have previously shared that neither is bothered by the 26-year age difference.
Schneiderhan is understood to have spent most of his life growing up in Munich, Germany, but he went to kindergarten in France and is fluent in French.
Later, the model attended a small private school in Germany before pursuing her career. At the age of 13, she was discovered on a subway train where she was wearing a Dirndl, a German folk costume often associated with Oktoberfest.
If once wasn’t enough, someone from a modeling agency spotted her and approached her while she was in France. At 15, Schneiderhan was already involved in campaigns and editorials for Escada, a high-profile German fashion label.
Since retiring from soccer in 2012, Ballack has worked as a commentator for various outlets including ESPN.
Former German Chelsea star Michael Ballack is dating Sophia Schneiderhan, a 21-year-old friend of his late son Emilio, who died in a quad bike tragedy in Portugal.
Schneiderhan (pictured) reached out to Ballack after his son’s fatal accident. The two seemed in love and were seen kissing in Chelsea, London.
Since retiring from soccer in 2012, Ballack has worked as a commentator for various outlets including ESPN. He is pictured before the UEFA Champions League group C match between FC Bayern Munich and Viktoria Plzen at the Allianz Arena on October 4, 2022.
Ballack played for Chelsea between 2006 and 2010. He is pictured in an October 2021 match between Chelsea and Atlético Madrid at Stamford Bridge.
Ballack is perhaps best known in England for his successful four-year spell at Chelsea, where he won the Premier League, three FA Cups, the League Cup and reached the Champions League final.
He also achieved four Bundesliga titles throughout his career, three with Bayern and one with Kaiserslautern.
As an international, Ballack made 98 caps for Germany and reached the final of the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2008, losing both times.
