Michael Ballack in love again as he kisses 21 year old girlfriend

Germany and Chelsea legend Michael Ballack has been pictured looking happy and in love with his 21-year-old girlfriend, almost two years after his 18-year-old son was killed in a quad biking tragedy.

Ballack, 47, was pictured with his arm around girlfriend Sophia Schneiderhan as they strolled through Chelsea, London, the neighborhood the star used to call home during his playing days.

In another picture, Ballack was spotted stooping in for a kiss with model Schneiderhan whilst they held hands.

It is believed the two got particularly close after Ballack's son Emilio died in a fatal quad biking accident in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2021.

Friends of Ballack and Schneiderhan have previously shared that they believe the relationship has been good for the former footballer and that neither was bothered by the 26-year age gap.

The tragic 2021 death occurred when Emilio's quad bike tipped backwards and crushed him.

Emilio was the middle of Ballack's three sons with his ex-wife Simone Lambe. The pair married 2008, but had already been together for a long time, welcoming their first child in 2001. They divorced in 2012.

Police at the time said Emilio had been riding on an uneven piece of land when the bike rolled backwards and fell on top of him around 2am on August 5, 2021, at the family's Villas do Mar estate, near the town of Troia which is just south of the capital, Lisbon.

Firefighters attended the scene and pulled him free of the wreck before medics tried to revive him. Their efforts proved in vain and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

'The accident happened at the family home. The quad rider wasn't on a public road and his was the only vehicle involved,' an officer told Portuguese media at the time.

Portuguese daily Jornal de Noticias reported that Emilio was reversing out of the property on his quad when he had his fatal accident.

Schneiderhan works as a model after being talent spotted from an early age.

The model's father, Reihard, is a spine surgeon and ex-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.

It is understood Schneiderhan spent most of her life growing up in Munich, Germany, but went to kindergarten in France and is a fluent French speaker.

The model later attended a small private school in Germany before pursuing her career. At the age of 13 she was talent spotted on an underground train where she was wearing a Dirndl - a German folk costume often associated with Oktoberfest.

If once wasn't enough, she was then spotted and 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.

Since retiring from football in 2012, Ballack has worked as a pundit for various outlets such as ESPN.

Ballack is perhaps best known in England for his successful four-year stint at Chelsea, where he won the Premier League, three FA Cups, the League Cup and reached the Champions League final.

He also clinched four Bundesliga titles throughout his career, capturing three with Bayern and one with Kaiserslautern.

As an international, Ballack earned 98 caps for Germany and reached the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2008 finals, losing on both occasions.