Ivory Coast: Sébastien Haller, the major depression

The World Cup is over, and tongues are loosening. Many Ivorians suffered greatly during Ivory Coast’s elimination in the round of 16 against Norway on June 30, 2026, in Dallas, United States (2-1). But they were not the only ones. While the new attackers Ange-Yoan Bonny and Elye Wahi searched for the back of the net on American and Canadian fields, without success, one of their predecessors was fighting a demon: depression.

Indeed, the 2023 African champion, who had clearly expressed his interest to coach Faé Emerse before the football world banquet, could not accept not being selected. He had believed in it wholeheartedly. "The World Cup is very important to me. It’s clear: I have to take part. I would have been maybe less motivated if I’d known in advance that it wouldn’t be possible. We narrowly missed out on the 2022 World Cup, which was a huge disappointment. But now that we’ve qualified, my absolute goal is to participate as well.," wished the Utrecht striker in May during an interview with Voetbal International.

But, between doubt and hope, he put his fate in Faé’s hands. "Will I be part of the squad? Good question, that should be asked to the coach... Honestly, I don’t know. I wish him good luck because we have a lot of good players. I have to make sure I’m in top form. For now, I’m happy and I feel good," he said. However, on June 1, 2026, when the final list was approved by FIFA, his name remained among those of the reserves.

The big slump

The player developed at Auxerre went through all sorts of emotions. He had a decent season, though not as decisive as in the past, but health-wise, he achieved near-perfection. No injuries, even requesting days off in the middle of the season.

"He cheated this season in the sense that as soon as he felt the slightest problem, he asked his club not to play him...He even went several times to recharge with his family in France in the middle of the championship. All this to be in peak physical shape for the World Cup. But Faé did not respect anything they agreed when they met before the World Cup,” a member of his communication team who wished to remain anonymous told us. This logically led the former Ajax player into a depressive spell. Even taking him to the point of making a radical decision.

"He wanted to quit football"

According to those close to him whom Sport News Africa reached by phone, including one of his uncles, he viewed the World Cup as one of his last international challenges in his career, certain that competition would make it very difficult afterwards. When he was snubbed, it felt like a crushing blow.

"He decided to quit football after the final list of 26 players called for the World Cup 2026. He took his omission as a betrayal. He said he had an understanding with the coach on a number of things but nothing was respected. Faé said at the press conference announcing the list that he spoke to the locker room leaders before drawing it up. That also broke his heart. It was as if he didn’t have the support of the group even though they had been together since 2022," this relative laments.

Little by little, through pain and resilience, his mother, his wife, and his children helped him avoid making a bad decision. Then came the offer from Japanese club Hiroshima. "It was like a lifeline. He had to grab onto it. He accepted the offer, sure that it was over for him in the national team. And let me tell you, it’s not certain that he’ll come back. He loves his country, but his mind is still troubled by all this. In addition to the sporting aspect, the contract with the Japanese club is very lucrative," admits a journalist close to him.

In the Land of the Rising Sun, "Seb" hopes to write a new chapter in his career and become Haller again. Far from the Elephants, perhaps, far from his glorious past but ready to build a new life.