Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed that he reached out to Sebastien Haller, his former player, to congratulate him on his winning goal for Ivory Coast in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Ten Hag, who worked with Haller early in his career at Utrecht and later signed him for Ajax, has been a strong support for the player during his fight against testicular cancer.
After Haller scored the decisive goal for Ivory Coast in their 2-1 win over Nigeria, Ten Hag, who had just led United to a crucial Premier League victory at Aston Villa, was watching on TV. He admitted it was a touching moment.
“I had direct contact with Seb on Sunday night after the final,” he said. “There has also been frequent contact during his period of illness. I tried to support him as much as possible. Of course, he had only been away from Ajax for a fortnight when the illness was diagnosed. For me too, that was a huge blow.”
He continued: “A sportsman in the prime of his life with a young family of three children and then such an illness. The way he dealt with it deserves great respect. He did not flee in anger but accepted it immediately and took everything he could to improve his chances of recovery and be resilient.
“He has fought his way back tremendously and then it is great that this is now followed by such a well-deserved sporting highlight.” Haller was told he had cancer in July 2022, just weeks after joining Borussia Dortmund from Ajax.
He moved to the Amsterdam club in January 2021 after an 18-month spell with West Ham following a £45million move from Eintracht Frankfurt. But the striker has never forgotten the role Ten Hag has played in his career and the pair kept in touch when the striker was undergoing extensive chemotherapy treatment to beat his disease.
He returned to action with Borussia Dortmund last season – only to miss a crucial penalty in a 2-2 draw with Mainz on the final day of the season which cost his club the Bundesliga title. Ten Hag said: “This highlight is so much to Seb’s credit after everything he has been through. His story is of course super emotional. From a sporting point of view, it was difficult for him. Last year he missed the title with Borussia Dortmund and missed a penalty in the decisive match.”
“That he then is now an African champion is great. Seb is a fantastic personality, a real team player. That attitude doesn’t suit a striker, but that’s how he always sets himself up. He is modest and humble, just a great player to have in your squad.”
“And he radiates calmness and tranquillity. You can see that in his game. He is imperturbable and therefore able to score such a decisive goal at such an important moment in difficult circumstances.”
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