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On Sunday, February 11, Ivory Coast forward, Sebastian Haller will be looking to help the host nation, the Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire grab their 3rd African Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.
His aim and objective in the final on Sunday against the Super Eagles of Nigeria is coming after he scored the winner against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) on Wednesday night. It would be an impressive feat to attain should he emerge successful.
Haller’s reemergence has been impressive; battling cancer in 2022 and return the following year to lead the attack of German club, Dortmund and Ivory Coast.
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Born in France, Haller was quickly tipped to emerge as one of the most prominent soccer players in the Francophone nation, albeit, he preferred to play for Ivory Coast, the birthplace of his mother (his father is French). Despite playing his youth career with the French national team, Haller chose to come back to Africa.
In November 2020, Sebastian Haller made his debut for the Ivory Coast national team against Madagascar. He featured in the 2021 AFCON tournament, scoring once in the group stage.
In 2022, Haller was diagnosed with testicular cancer, forcing him to go on a hiatus. Miraculously, Haller was able to overcome cancer in the early part of 2023, returning to football in January 2023.
He was named among the Ivorian squad for the 2023 AFCON tournament. Haller inspired the Elephants to a comeback against the defending champions, Senegal in their inspirational comeback. The host nation went on to win 5-4 on penalties.
He also came on as a substitute against Mali where they also came from behind to win 2-1 in extra time.
In the semis against DR Congo, Haller scored the winner leading his team to the final date against the Super Eagles of Nigeria in Abidjan on Sunday, February 11.
Prior to the diagnosis, Haller was one of the most lethal forwards across Europe and Africa. He is currently still garnering momentum and recuperating his previous form.
It would be fascinating to see how the 29-year-old performs in the coming AFCON final.
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