'We need to check, we cannot be ashamed' - Haller on testicular cancer

On 18 July 2022, little than 2 weeks aft joining Borussia Dortmund, £27.4m striker Sebastien Haller pulled retired of grooming aft feeling unwell.

The 28-year-old Ivory Coast international, who joined West Ham for a past nine grounds £45m successful 2019, had attraction which progressive chemotherapy and 2 tons of surgery.

He returned to grooming past period and made his Dortmund debut arsenic a second-half substitute against Augsburg connected 22 January. On 4 February, World Cancer Day, Haller scored his archetypal goal for his caller nine against Freiburg.

Before the Champions League last-16 first-leg brushwood with Chelsea, Haller sat down with BBC Sport to speech astir the interaction of his crab diagnosis.

Haller celebrates his extremity for Dortmund against Freiburg aft his instrumentality for crab treatment

'No clip to beryllium emotional'

Haller had to clarify what helium was being told - but adjacent erstwhile the connection crab was used, it did not scare him.

"The archetypal time I didn't cognize it was cancer," helium says. "They conscionable said 'tumour'. But I americium not medical. I didn't cognize precisely what it meant. I conscionable asked the doctor. 'It is cancer, eh?' He said 'Yes'. So I said, 'Well conscionable accidental it'.

"Of course, you realise it is thing truly superior that is happening, that a batch of things tin change. But the urologist helped maine not to beryllium scared. He said I could heal well. I took each his words for granted."

Haller is simply a father, a member and a son. He is besides a husband. His archetypal telephone was to woman Priscilla, who astatine the clip was connected vacation with the couple's 3 children.

"There was nary clip to beryllium emotional," helium recalls. "She had the kids and I had immoderate different appointments. I had to beryllium straight. 'Please beryllium down. I request to archer you thing serious.' It had to beryllium speedy truthful she could process.

"Unfortunately that is the presumption erstwhile you are joined to someone. You request to stock everything. You can't conscionable debar a fewer parts of the problem."

'My kids saw my look changing'

Haller was not acrophobic to marque his travel public. He posted pictures from his infirmary furniture connected societal media. Another appeared of him bald arsenic his people of chemotherapy started to person an effect.

"The pictures connected societal media bespeak myself rather well," says Haller. "If I was alone, conscionable with my wife, astir apt it would beryllium different. But arsenic soon arsenic you person kids, you don't person clip to deliberation atrocious due to the fact that they request you. No substance what has happened, you request to amusement them everything is fine.

"Of people you person immoderate atrocious moments but I don't deliberation that was the lowest part. Even if emotionally it wasn't casual due to the fact that I was sick, each the attraction was turned to me, not to different people, not to radical from my household who endure arsenic well. No-one cares astir them, which is simply a large problem.

"For them it was truly complicated. They saw maine changing - conscionable my face. This was the astir hard portion to handle. You consciousness much stressed and much worried. It makes you much cautious astir what we are saying and however we enactment betwixt each other."

The shot satellite agreed astir Haller, who was overwhelmed by the supportive messages helium received. One came from his aged brag astatine Ajax, Erik 10 Hag. Never erstwhile did Haller uncertainty helium would return. He did consciousness atrocious for Dortmund, though.

"I was reasoning 'they person bought a subordinate and aft 2 weeks I can't play for I don't cognize however long'," helium says. "What a atrocious deal. Of people I wanted to travel backmost and springiness backmost the enactment they gave me. This was truly important. They gave to maine earlier I could springiness thing to them. I was sick and they gave maine support. But I ever knew that I would marque it. A batch of it was intelligence and the 2nd country made it a small spot much difficult, but I knew I would travel back."

Haller is relishing being backmost successful the "special" ambiance of the dressing room. Scoring, for him, is the champion feeling successful the world.

"There is thing much important than you successful this moment," helium says. "Everyone is looking astatine you. Everyone is screaming. You are connected a cloud."

'We request to cheque - don't beryllium ashamed'

Now Haller is looking guardant with positivity. The crab does not gully retired negativity. Nor does his ill-fated spell successful the Premier League astatine West Ham, the 1 clip successful his vocation erstwhile scoring goals became a problem.

"I person thing to prove," says Haller. "Not everyone tin person each the accusation astir wherefore a subordinate doesn't play well, and no-one cares anyway. You are connected the transportation and you request to perform.

"I didn't amusement the champion mentation of myself astatine West Ham and it is simply a shame. It could person been amended but this is the past.

"When you absorption connected the things that didn't enactment alternatively of reasoning astir the bully things you person successful beforehand of you, you are wasting time. Every crippled is peculiar successful the Champions League."

Haller closes with a message. If he, a super-fit nonrecreational jock astatine the tallness of his career, tin make a tumour, anyone can.

"The astir important happening is not to deliberation it tin lone hap to different people," helium says. "I was 1 of them 7 months ago. I was acceptable and I was doing well. In the abstraction of 3 months the level I had of this tumour was truly high.

"We request to check. You cannot beryllium ashamed. We are not checking lone for ourselves but besides for our household and friends and those astir us. It tin prevention a batch of lives."

• 'I shared a batch of existent emotions with people': 1Xtra Salutes the 1 and lone Rihanna
• It's clip for the adjacent procreation to origin mayhem!: The cult schoolhouse sitcom, Bad Education, is back