Dortmund professional footballer Sébastien Haller, who has testicular cancer, has shared insights into what it was like during his four cycles of chemotherapy.

“Each time I had to spend several days in hospital and in bed. The symptoms were unpleasant. I lost a lot of fluids each time, also weighed a few kilos less as a result. I had hiccups and stomach problems, I couldn’t taste food properly for a while,” the 28-year-old striker told Bild in an interview. The newcomer from Ajax Amsterdam was diagnosed with testicular cancer before the start of the season and has therefore not yet been able to play a competitive match for BVB.

Above all, his family helped him after the cancer diagnosis, Haller explained. “When I came home, my wife had prepared a few small posters with the messages from my family. Mum, dad, brother, sister. That was actually the most emotional thing.” He said he received many uplifting messages from the football world. “Even the Frankfurt Buffalo gang with Luka Jovic and Ante Rebic wrote to me, that made me happy,” said Haller, who played for Eintracht between 2017 and 2019.

Haller is currently preparing with Borussia Dortmund in Marbella, Spain, for their Bundesliga opener against FC Augsburg on 22 January. He says his goal then is to line up for BVB in front of the famous Südtribüne for the first time. “This moment has been playing regularly in my mind since day 1. That’s what you play for at this club. “