Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller became a national hero for the Ivory Coast after guiding his side to their third AFCON title with a late goal against Nigeria in the Final on Monday, February 12.
It was Nigeria who surprised everyone after taking an unlikely lead against the hosts with a powerful header by their skipper William Troost-Ekong in the 38th minute, giving his side a vital lead at the end of the first half. However, the Elephants maintained their composure even after going behind, spearheaded by a defensive masterclass by Calvin Bassey early in the second half.
Ivory Coast’s emphatic turnaround came with Franck Kessie’s header from a Simon Adingra corner, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. Their winning step came in the final nine minutes of the game when Haller converted another Adingra cross, which they managed to hold on to till the end.
HALLER’S COMEBACK STORY
Even before the Elephants took the field on Monday, all eyes were on Sebastien Haller. Numerous football enthusiasts across the globe were wishing glory for the player who came back to footballing action only a year after being diagnosed with Testicular cancer in 2022.
2022: Haller joins Borussia Dortmund from Ajax
After two massively impressive spells with Dutch club Ajax, during which he won two Eredivisie titles and emerged as his side’s top UEFA Champions League goalscorer, Sebastien Haller was recruited by German club Borussia Dortmund. He was brought in as a replacement for their star striker Erling Haaland, who had recently moved to Manchester City.
Many considered this move as a significant step in his career, especially due to his impressive goalscoring record, which placed him on the Champions League record board alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Robert Lewandowski.
JULY 2022: Cancer diagnosis
Only two weeks into his stint in Germany, during Dortmund’s pre-season training camp at Switzerland, Haller complained about abdominal discomfort to the team doctors and was then sent for a consultation to a urologist.
Upon diagnosis, to the worst of any human’s imagination, a testicular tumour was discovered on Haller, which marked the beginning of his tumultuous recovery journey.
The 29-year-old underwent surgery to remove his entire cancerous testicle, which was followed by chemotherapy. The following two months, Haller spent the majority of his time making rounds of the hospital, in the hope of regaining fitness and only dreaming about returning to footballing action.
January 2023: Back on the field
After being declared fit only in December 2022, Haller, who had been training as extensively as possible, travelled with his Dortmund teammates for their pre-season camp in Spain.
It was on January 10, 2023, when Haller stepped back onto the footballing field for a friendly between Dortmund and Fortuna Dusseldorf. After winning his biggest battle, the player’s comeback was met with a round of applause from his teammates, the opposition and all the crowd at Marbella’s Dama de Noche football centre.
February 2024: Glory
During this time, Haller successfully turned his story into an inspiration for many battling their own struggles, regardless of their location in the world.
Haller’s goal in the 81st minute of the AFCON final against a strong Nigeria, marked the culmination of two comeback stories simultaneously. One was his personal journey, and the other was that of his national team, which, at the outset of AFCON 2023, appeared unlikely to advance past the tournament’s group stages.
