By Sébastien Haller (29) had only been at Borussia Dortmund for two weeks before he was diagnosed with cancer. The Ivorian striker had complained to the club doctors about abdominal discomfort while training in Switzerland. An ultrasound followed by an MRI revealed to the doctors that he was suffering from a tumour.
However, as Haller explained in an exclusive interview with Le Parisien, despite having a diagnosis the reality of the situation had not quite hit him fully. “I’m not very knowledgeable about medical matters, so I don’t know what a tumour is. They let me go back and train.”
“I then had to see a specialist, who in a few seconds showed me an ultrasound: ‘You see, it’s a tumour. It’s coming off, I can operate on you within two days,’” Haller continued. “I understood that we were talking about cancer, but I was in the dark. I didn’t know how long it was going to last and what treatment I was going to undergo.”
‘It’s a relief’ – Sébastien Haller
The striker would undergo four cycles of chemotherapy in 2022 and by December he had good news to share with his family, “And then there is the day when I learn that I’m cured or rather in remission because you have to wait a year before you can say that you’re completely cured. It was December 20th, we could see that there was no more residue. It’s a relief… I was able to announce it on Christmas and it did everyone good.”
Haller was able to return to Dortmund on the 2nd of January 2023 and has had an incredible journey since with the club. The team were a game away from winning the Bundesliga last season, while this year he won the Africa Cup of Nations with the Côte d’Ivoire. And now he and his team are a game away from reaching the Champions League final, all that stands in their way is Paris Saint-Germain, the club he grew up supporting.
