Sebastien Haller will have to wait a little longer before wearing the colors of his new club, Borussia Dortmund. The 28-year-old striker is currently battling a testicular tumor, which was detected this summer during the pre-season preparation. The Ivorian international spoke to ESPN about his battle with the disease. Sebastien Haller victim of testicular tumor Sebastien Haller is currently undergoing chemotherapy
After two great seasons at Ajax Amsterdam (50 goals, 17 assists), Sebastien Haller joined Borussia Dortmund this summer. A nice move by BvB, who saw in the 28-year-old Ivorian striker the replacement for Erling Haland, who left for Manchester City. But while the Norwegian giant has already made the Citizens happy in the Premier League (6 goals in 4 games), Sebastien Haller has been away from the field since his arrival in the German club. And for good reason, the Ivorian international is suffering from a testicular tumor.
The Ivorian giant is currently undergoing chemotherapy to combat the disease detected during the preseason training with Borussia Dortmund. The 28-year-old striker, bald headed by the effects of treatment, told ESPN. "I'm fine," he reassured. It's a new situation for everyone. Especially for me and my family. I'm lucky to have a lot of people around me and a lot of support. I'm also lucky that I don't feel bad. I can still walk every day and spend time with my family and friends so everything is fine."
After the diagnosis of his illness, the former West Ham striker confesses that he felt embarrassed towards his new club, which paid 31 million euros to secure his services. "The first thing I thought was, 'I've only been here ten days and I can't even play for the club,'" said the former Auxerre man. We did a lot for this transfer. Everyone was happy and I really wanted to play. It doesn't seem like a good deal, but if you think about it, you see that you can't do anything about it. You couldn't have avoided it."
"I walk every day and check my body."
The Ivory Coast Elephant also returned to the first symptoms he felt. "I had a weird feeling in my stomach," he recounts. It didn't hurt, it was just a weird feeling. Sometimes you think it will go away after a few days, but it didn't feel right. That's why I decided to look at what was wrong. The first ultrasound was done at 9pm and an MRI the next day at 9am. Then it became a biopsy, because they saw it was a tumor."
Haller adds, "The tumor had been there for several weeks or maybe even a month or two. It's something you can't feel. Within 24 hours, I did a lot of tests. We had to wait for surgery to see what exactly it was. They saw it right there. When you hear the word (tumor), it's shocking."
Sebastien Haller is undergoing heavy treatment. "You go to the hospital for five days and you're on an IV for 24 hours," he explains. You can't move, you just lie in bed. Especially during those days, you lose muscle strength and fitness. The first day I came back, I started walking and went to the gym. I think people in Amsterdam also saw me running in the woods. My physio was there. My wife and mother were there, so I could eat well too. I walk every day and check my body. I haven't lost that much after two weeks. I'm even at the same level I was a few months ago. That's a good sign and I hope it stays that way. I feel great."
