Chelsea have released a statement offering their condolences to Michael Ballack after it was announced that his son Emilio has died in a quad crash on holiday at the age of just 18.
Emilio is believed to have died at around 2am on Tuesday morning, and Portuguese media are reporting that the incident happened in the Troia south of Lisbon, close to a house Ballack purchased years ago.
Ballack represented the Blues between 2006-10, and the club posted a heartfelt message on social media once the news broke.
It read: "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.
"All our thoughts are with his father Michael and his family at this sad time."
The Chelsea Supporters' Trust added: "We are saddened to learn of the passing of Emiliano Ballack.
"The thoughts of the CST board & all our members across the world are with Michael and his family at this difficult time."
Firefighters who were among the emergency services sent to the scene were unable to confirm the dead man was Ballack's son.
But an officer said: “I know the dead man was the son of a well-known footballer but I don’t have details about who it was.
“The accident happened at the family home. The quad rider wasn’t on a public road and his was the only vehicle involved.
“The quad was on an uneven piece of land and at this stage it appears to have gone backwards and as it did fell on top of the victim and crushed him."
Efforts to revive the youngster at the scene were unsuccessful and he was declared dead at the spot where the accident occurred.
GNR police based in Troia and paramedics were also mobilised. Trained counsellors are said to be helping the dead man’s family, who according to one of the emergency responders were in the house at the time.
The teenager’s body has been taken to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in the city of Santiago de Cacem south of the scene of the accident for a post-mortem.
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