Michael Ballack opened up on the impact of the death of his son. (Image: Sky Germany/Instagram )

Former Chelsea and Germany midfielder Michael Ballack has given a deeply emotional account of the impact of his son's death. Emilio, aged 18, tragically lost his life in a quad bike accident near the family's holiday home in Portugal in 2021.

The teenager was the middle child of Ballack's three sons, with older brother Louis one year his senior and younger sibling Jordi born three years after Emilio.

Speaking publicly about Emilio's passing for the first time, Ballack described the 'unimaginable' emotions he continues to experience. During an interview conducted in his native German with Sky, entitled 'My Story', he was questioned about the impact of losing his son.

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Visibly emotional, Ballack took a lengthy pause before simply responding: "Difficult." He then paused once more before repeating the same word.

A clearly emotional Ballack continued: "You can't imagine it. You can't even describe it in words.

"It's a process of repression....