This Sunday (12), Sebastien Haller secured Ivory Coast’s third AFCON title, just a year after recovering from cancer.
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Ivory Coast beat Nigeria 2-1 with Haller scoring the winning goal. “We dreamed of this moment so many times”, said Haller after the game. The Borussia Dortmund striker had to interrupt his career to treat testicular cancer in 2022.
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“We hoped to get to this point and once again the match wasn’t an easy one. The joyous scenes we see now, what’s happening in the country, they deserve it too. I really hope it does a lot of people good”, added Haller.
Before the last game, Haller had already spoken about his journey against cancer on Saturday (10). “The last 18 months have been challenging for me and my family. Given what has happened over the last few months, it’s great to be here in front of you”, said the player.
Haller was diagnosed with testicular cancer in July 2022, two weeks after joining Dortmund. After two surgeries and several chemotherapy sessions, Haller returned to training at the beginning of January 2023.