On World Cancer Day, Sébastien Haller put his name on the top scorer list in Borussia Dortmund's win over SC Freiburg. It is the Frenchman's first goal for BVB after his testicular cancer.
Delighted with the first goal: Sébastien Haller scores for Borussia Dortmund for the first time
First of all, you couldn't see him for all the yellow jerseys. Sébastien Haller's team-mates didn't want to let go of their team-mate and everyone came to hug the Frenchman after he scored 3-1 in the Bundesliga game against SC Freiburg. It was Haller's first Bundesliga goal for Borussia Dortmund after surviving cancer and the emotional highlight of the game. After the cheering broke and released him, the striker clenched both fists towards the South Stand and then pointed to his right heel – he'd scored with a head.
“It means a lot to me,” said Haller on Sky after his debut goal for BVB on World Cancer Day of all days after chemotherapy and two operations for testicular cancer. “I've been waiting for this since day one. There's nothing better for a striker than to score.” His coach was also happy: “Of course it's perfect that it wasn't just any goal or any goal in the away game, but right in front of the yellow wall,” Edin Terzic told ARD radio. “We waited a long time for him to reward himself with the first goal in front of the south stand. And he fought very hard for it.”
Part of Frankfurt's “buffalo herd”
< p>For Haller it was probably one of the most emotional moments of his long career. The 28-year-old has been a professional soccer player for almost twelve years. In the summer of 2011, while still a youth player, he signed his first professional contract with traditional French club AJ Auxerre, for whom he made his professional debut in the second division in 2012 at the age of 18. However, the beefy striker was not a high-flyer, which is why he was loaned to FC Utrecht in the first Dutch league, the Eredivisie, in 2015. There, Haller met a coach in Erik ten Hag who would have a lasting impact on his career. Ten Hag let Haller play and the Frenchman thanked the coach with goals. His goals also made Haller very popular with the fans.
Eintracht Frankfurt's “buffalo herd”: Ante Rebic, Luka Jovic and Sébastien Haller (from left to right)
An accurate, physically robust and yet agile attacker – that did not go unnoticed by the clubs in the larger European leagues. In the summer of 2017, Eintracht Frankfurt signed Haller, and the current Dortmund player also became known to the German public. With Luka Jovic and Ante Rebic he formed an attacking trio in Frankfurt, which was called the “buffalo herd” because of his physicality. Haller won the DFB Cup with Eintracht in 2018 and played in the European Cup for the first time the following season. He also scored regularly in the Europa League. It was only in the semifinals after a penalty shoot-out against Chelsea that the end of the line.
Record total doesn't pay off for West Ham
It was again the case that Haller's performances drew attention to the next level up in the football hierarchy. West Ham United lured Haller to the Premier League in the summer of 2019, the dream goal of many football professionals – and actually the right place for Haller due to his constitution. Frankfurt's fans were shocked, but Eintracht's record player Karl-Heinz “Charly” Körbel showed understanding. “I said it myself: You can sell everyone except him! But when the money actually comes into play and you can earn double or triple it – then you just have to do it,” said Körbel at the time of the “Bild” – Newspaper. Although Haller was paid significantly better in England than in the Bundesliga, things didn't go well in terms of sport. For the first time in a long time things didn't go uphill for the striker. Although West Ham had paid the record sum of 40 million euros for Haller, he simply did not fit into the system there and was quickly demoted to a substitute.
Return to the familiar coach: Sébastien Haller (left) and Erik ten Hag (right) at Ajax Amsterdam
In January 2021, Haller therefore returned to the Dutch Eredivisie and signed a four-year contract with Ajax Amsterdam. Haller's former promoter Erik ten Hag, who was now on the bench at Ajax, played a large part in this. “He has a lot to do with my move to Ajax, I know him well,” Haller told CNN at the time. “I know what he can do and how he will use me.” Haller was also the record transfer at Ajax (22.5 million euros), but this time with a better outcome for the club. Haller scored 32 times in 50 league games for Ajax, won the championship twice with the club (2021, 2022) and the cup once (2021).
BVB in the title race – also thanks to Haller
Then followed the return to the Bundesliga: As the successor to Erling Haaland, Haller was supposed to close the gap in BVB's attack and, above all, bring his power and physical presence to Dortmund's game. But things turned out differently. Instead of chasing goals in the Bundesliga, Haller had to undergo an operation followed by chemotherapy after being diagnosed with testicular cancer. A second operation later became necessary. Haller was only in the squad for the first time after the winter break. He improved through substitutions and his first starting XI appearance last matchday in Leverkusen – up to his goal against Freiburg.
Tall, robust and accurate – the duel with Haller is no fun for his opponents
“He's been working towards it for a long time,” said Dortmund's sporting director Sebastian Kehl. “We are all overjoyed, a great burden has been lifted from him.” Haller not only caused goosebumps in the stadium, but also for the preliminary decision against SC. The win brought Dortmund back into championship contention. Before the FC Bayern game in Wolfsburg on Sunday, Dortmund are third and level on points with Munich. Both top clubs are two points behind Union Berlin.