From being a cancer survivor to winning his nation the AFCON, it has been a whirlwind of a journey for the striker.
Since fighting off cancer (he was diagnosed with testicular cancer back in 2022), the Dortmund striker has only been back playing football since the start of 2023 and he has missed many games since then with injuries. In an interview before the tournament, he said his dream was to be able to play for his country again in a major tournament. He managed to do one better and win his country the trophy in their home nation. This is his first trophy he has won with his country.
The Elephants (Ivory Coast nickname) played Nigeria in the final who won the competition last time around after they beat Egypt. Ivory Coast also lost to them in the group stages 1-0, so it looked set for Nigeria to take the trophy home especially when they went 1-0 up through a William Troost- Ekong header in the first half. But after Franck Kessie equalised after 62 minutes the game was in the Elephants hands and Haller made sure they took the trophy home when he won the game in the 81st minute with an acute touch in the 6-yard box to put it pass the goalkeeper.
Haller only managed to play the last 4 games of the tournament due to starting it with an ankle injury. He still managed to get 2 crucial match winners with the other goal he scored being the winner in the semi-finals against DR Congo in the 65th minute. Throughout the final he was up against Troost-Ekong who was voted player of the tournament, and he still found a way to get the ball past him, which was proven very hard for the other nations.
The striker has proven to never give up on yourself or your dreams. What do you think Haller can go and achieve next with Borussia Dortmund and the Ivory Coast?
Комментарии