The Ivory Coast striker talks to The Athletic about overcoming cancer, the ‘beautiful story’ of AFCON glory and final-day drama at Dortmund
“I walked down the stairs in the stands and people were shouting at me saying, ‘You are useless. You don’t even play, you just do commercials’. I felt a bit dead inside.” Sebastien Haller is reliving the moment when Ivory Coast’s fans in the Alassane Ouattara Stadium turned on him following their 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea in the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations. It was a humiliating result that left the hosts on the brink of elimination.
’s last-minute winner for Bayern Munich against Cologne meant the Bavarian side retained the title on goal difference. “It was the biggest disappointment I have had in football,” Haller says. “It was harder to accept than my illness because I could have an impact on it. I was not just a victim but an actor. It was so painful. “In these moments, you realise you are lucky and blessed to have family and friends around you.
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