He was hired to provide Erling Haaland’s departure to Manchester City, and Sebastian Haller ended up going from dream to nightmare at Dortmund. 10 days after his move to Germany, the Ivorian striker was diagnosed with a malignancy that will keep him out of the field for several months.
“The first thing I thought was: Really? I was here 10 days ago and didn’t even have the chance to play for the club, having done so much to make this transfer. Everyone was so happy and I really wanted to play. Now the club has paid 30 million euros for me and I will be out of the club for months. It obviously didn’t seem like a good deal, but then I stopped thinking and I couldn’t do anything to change that,” he explained to ESPN, revealing the moment when he realized something was not right: “I had a strange feeling in my stomach, it didn’t hurt, but I didn’t feel well and it didn’t go away, so I decided to see what it was. The biopsy confirmed the tumor had been there for a month or two, but when you hear the word it’s awful.”
As for returning to the pitch, Haller was on the defensive.
Let’s say that now is not the best time to think about this step, because it will take a few months. The most important thing is not to lose too much muscle mass. I have to keep fit and a month before I come back I’ll start working with the ball. The most important thing now is to feel good again, he said, thanking him for the support: “A lot of people have talked to me, and they are genuinely concerned. It was a little unexpected and very emotional, but it gives you extra motivation.”
