Michael Ballack was once an industrious midfielder.
Patrolling the middle of the park for Chelsea and Bayern Munich, among others, the German star, who turns 48 on Thursday (26 September), was an icon in his homeland.
However, after retirement, Ballack would suffer heartbreak when his son, Emilio, 18, was killed in a quad bike crash in Portugal. As Ballack was grieving, reports suggested he found a new friendship with model Sophia Schneiderhan, who had been a close friend of his son.
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The pair are now happily an item – and Sophia recently shared a snap of the pair in Sylt – a German island in the North Sea. Sophia showed off her good looks as Ballack wrapped his arm around her – commenting on the post with a love heart.
“You steal the show from the sunset,” one friend of Sophia gushed. While a second said: “A good and harmonious couple, you look very beautiful and happy!”
Friends of the couple have admitted the relationship has been good for the former footballer and that neither was bothered by the 25-year age gap.
According to the Daily Mail, Sophia is a Munich-native, but spent her early years in France and is a fluent French speaker. However, upon moving to Germany she would attend a private school before pursuing a career as a model.
At the age of 13 she was talent spotted riding on the underground where she was wearing a Dirndl – a German folk costume often associated with Oktoberfest.
(Image: Getty Images)
She was then spotted and then approached while in France by someone from a model agency. By 15, Schneiderhan was already involved in campaigns and editorials for Escada, a high-profile German fashion brand.
Sophia has over 129,000 followers on Instagram – where she loved to share updates from her and Ballack’s life.