Confederation conqueror, cult figure for the Ivory Coast nation, a proven source of goals as well as selflessness, and a beacon of hope for all those who have had their lives turned upside down by a chilling medical discovery – what a life-affirming journey Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller has been on over the past 18 months, going from a testicular cancer diagnosis in the summer of 2022 to flicking home a late winning goal for the Ivorians in their recent AFCON final on home soil against Nigeria.
A player and man blessed with an unbreakable spirit, Haller naturally found it hard to contain his emotions at the final whistle. “It feels good,” he told the former French international centre-back turned be IN Sports reporter Basile Boli. “It feels good to be rewarded a little. To have the benefit of continuing to believe.” Noticing the tears welling up in Haller’s eyes, Boli duly began to sob himself, the two men ending up in a sympathetic embrace.
Not so long ago, Haller, 29, appeared distinctly unlikely to even be included in the Ivorian squad for the African main event. He had spent most of the first half of the 2023-24 campaign on the Dortmund prior to the winter break, Haller was alarmingly short of match practice and to further complicate matters his ankle was giving him hell.
