Sebastien Haller plays for Borussia Dortmund in friendly six months after testicular cancer diagnosis
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Updated 10/01/2023 at 21:44 GMT
Just six months after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, Dortmund forward Sebastien Haller was a second-half substitute in his side's 5-1 friendly victory over Fortuna Dusseldorf on Tuesday. The 28-year-old is hoping to make his full debut for the club later this month after he was diagnosed just four weeks after signing from Ajax as a replacement for Erling Haaland.
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Dortmund forward Sebastien Haller made a second-half appearance in his side’s friendly against Fortuna Dusseldorf on Tuesday – just six months after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
The 28-year-old Ivory Coast international joined the Bundesliga side from Ajax in July as a replacement for Erling Haaland but was diagnosed just four weeks later.
Following surgery and chemotherapy, Haller returned to training earlier this week and now looks a strong contender to feature in the Bundesliga match against Augsburg, a fixture he had set his sights on.
In footage posted on Dortmund's Twitter account, Haller and coach Edin Terzic appeared to share a hug before he entered the field to applause.
Dortmund won the friendly 5-1 thanks to goals from Felix Passlack, Karim Adeyemi and Nico Schlotterbeck, plus Donyell Malen’s late double.
Jude Bellingham welcomed his club team-mate’s return by tweeting: "What a sight, what a man."
"I’m doing well. It’s been a tough six months," Haller told the official club website.
"I’m naturally very happy to be able to be here with the lads and train. For me, my return was simply a matter of time, hence why I always kept going.
"It’s the best feeling you can have (returning to the pitch). When you have this illness, you don’t know what your future looks like. I could only concentrate on the next day. I worked a lot so that I can now participate in everything.
"A lot of attention is being paid to how my body reacts to the training.
"My values are now being closely monitored. I will get involved in everything as long as I feel well, but we need to keep an eye on all the data.
"I’m looking forward to playing at the stadium and in front of the Yellow Wall (Dortmund’s fans). That’s the goal."
The former West Ham player had a successful spell at Ajax, scoring 34 goals, before joining Dortmund. He is yet to make his competitive debut.
After 15 games of the Bundesliga campaign, Dortmund are sixth, nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich.
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