"I found out I was on the Ballon d'Or list after my second chemo"

Finding out you have cancer is one of the most important moments in a person's life. When you are at the peak of your sporting career and have just made the leap to the big leagues, it is even more frightening. But Sebatian Haller overcame all that to aim for his first Champions League final.

The Ivorian striker spoke to 'Le Parisien' about aspects of his career and how he found out he had cancer: "I was training in Switzerland with Dortmundand as I had complained of abdominal discomfort, the club's osteopath advised me to have an ultrasound scan.

"When the doctors did it, they told me it was deeper and that they would have to do an MRI scan. The next day they did the tests and immediately told me it was a tumour. I don't have much medical knowledge, so I don't know what a tumour is. Then I had to see a specialist. I was in the dark, I didn't know how long it was going to last or what treatment I was going to get," he said.

Haller remembers calling his wife "because she was going to be the one who was going to be most impacted by this life change". "I advise her to sit down, explain to her what I have, the consequences this will have on our life and that the routine will change a little bit. I then called my brothers to tell them to stay with my mother that night as the club was going to have to announce the news. They were especially surprised because my mother lost her sister to cancer in 2020. So I wanted them to be with her when the news broke," he added.

"Then comes the day when I find out that I am completely recovered, or rather in remission because you have to wait a year before you can say that you are completely recovered. It's a relief. I was confident and serene, but hearing it from the doctor was a relief. I was