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Testicular tumor, four chemotherapy treatments and two operations – Sébastien Haller (27) had to endure very poor health. Now the striker is back at the top – on the African football throne.
“We have dreamed of this moment so many times. The country deserves these scenes of joy,” said Haller after scoring the goal for Ivory Coast for a 2-1 victory in the Africa Cup of Nations final against Nigeria. Emotions overpower him: Haller falls into the arms of ex-professional and TV reporter Basile Boli, and together they shed tears of joy. For the “elephants” it is the third title after 2015 and 1992 – now even in their own country.
The triumph is particularly emotional because it was unthinkable just a few weeks ago. After two defeats in the preliminary round, coach Jean-Louis Gasset was thrown out, and it was only thanks to outside help that the hosts came through. Even in the final, the Ivorians have their backs against the wall. But Franck Kessie (63rd) and Haller (81st) turned around the 0-1 deficit.
Resurrection
It is once again a small resurrection for final hero Haller: a year and a half ago he was diagnosed with cancer, after his recovery he was the great hope at Borussia Dortmund in the ultimately lost title race against Bayern. This season, Haller is only second choice at BVB. In the last ten games he was only used from the bench or not at all.
The African Cup of Nations is completely different: here he is the hero of an entire country. And this despite the fact that the Ivorian-French dual nationality chose his mother’s homeland later in life. At junior level he played for the French national team. Because he saw no prospects in the senior team against Benzema and Mbappés, he opted for Ivory Coast. In a country torn by civil wars, it is a symbol of resilience and perseverance.
“We are proud that we have made all these people happy,” Haller said after his winning goal in the semi-final. After the finale, Haller’s tears say more than 1,000 words. (cmu)
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
