Sebastien Haller, the cancer survivor who became Ivory Coast’s Afcon hero

A champion of the continent and a hero in their own country.

Sebastien Haller used his right foot to make a crucial touch at the ideal moment. Ten minutes afterwards, Ivory Coast achieved an incredible and unexpected tournament comeback, securing victory in the Africa Cup of Nations on their own turf by defeating Nigeria 2-1.

The 29-year-old striker achieved a significant milestone in his career and reached ten international goals with his late winning goal. However, Haller’s moment of becoming an African legend almost did not occur.

Not for the most apparent cause, the one that would come to mind first.

In November of 2016, Haller scored three goals in a U21 match, four years before his first appearance for Ivory Coast’s senior international team. This achievement is not uncommon for a skilled forward on the rise, but what sets it apart is that it was against Ivory Coast while he was still representing France and advancing through the younger teams.

For a player who usually celebrates with a calm demeanor and outstretched arms, scoring those two goals was a rare occasion where he showed a bit more emotion: a smile and fist pump after his hat-trick in an U21 game from the past, and beating his chest while jogging down the byline after scoring the winning goal against the Super Eagles in Abidjan.

The two were united by a goal that was celebrated in a particularly passionate manner: his initial goal for Borussia Dortmund in February 2023. This goal may have been more of a relief and release than anything else, as it occurred on World Cancer Day just a few weeks after he received a clean bill of health, following a six-month struggle with testicular cancer.

That is where the true narrative of Haller’s personal journey of resurgence is found, a pivotal moment in a career marked by numerous opportunities.

After beginning his professional football career at Auxerre, he has since played for teams in various European leagues, including two stints in the Eredivisie, one in the Premier League, and two in the Bundesliga. His first stop after Utrecht was at Eintracht Frankfurt, where he became well-known as part of a high-scoring trio that helped the team win the DFB-Pokal after 30 years. Haller then left for a lucrative transfer to West Ham United, but his performance was not consistently impressive during his 18 months with the team. He eventually joined Ajax permanently and quickly regained his scoring form.

However, that transfer was noteworthy as well: even though they paid a record €22.5m for him in January, Ajax failed to register him for European competitions that season due to an administrative error. Despite this setback, Haller went on to win two Eredivisie titles and attract further transfer attention. Unfortunately, after joining Dortmund, he experienced prolonged illness and fatigue which led him to seek medical advice. This is when the tumor was discovered.

After undergoing six months of treatment, which involved two operations and chemotherapy, the desired result was finally achieved: being declared healthy, resuming full training, and playing in a highly anticipated first competitive match. And then, a successful goal was scored.

“To score today was a great message to everyone who is fighting today or will fight later. It gives some hope, some courage, that’s it. The days after will always be better,” he said after that first header in yellow, scored while wearing boots with the message “F*** cancer” on them.

At this juncture, another message from Haller that was sent much earlier – inquiring about any potential remorse for his decision to switch from France to Ivory Coast – may hold more weight than ever before.

“I have no regrets. I strive to approach things without any hesitation,” he stated. “When I make a decision, I commit fully and never second-guess myself. While I was not chosen for the French team, I stand by my choice and am content with it now.”

Confronting the problem directly and moving forward without dwelling on the past seems to be a consistent strategy for him. This approach has proven successful both on the field during difficult games and in his personal life during even tougher challenges. In a subsequent interview after scoring his first goal for Dortmund, he emphasized that he would not dwell on what had occurred and would not allow it to determine his future actions.

“It is crucial for me to eventually release and move on from certain things. I aim to do this swiftly because although it is a part of my past and identity, it is necessary to make changes. Being stagnant is not desirable.”

In that aspect, the goal has been achieved.

Although he may have originated from the southern region of Paris, Ivory Coast has become his true home. Haller’s impressive performance in the Afcon final marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another, with many more opportunities ahead for him.

Source: independent.co.uk