Sébastien Haller leaves Dortmund for Utrecht after stint marked by cancer recovery and near-misses

DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Sébastien Haller’s eventful three years at Borussia Dortmund ended Monday with a transfer to Dutch club Utrecht.

It ended a stint with the German club which began with a cancer diagnosis but during his time there Haller almost won the Bundesliga, reached the final of the Champions League, and won the African Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast.

He found himself increasingly sidelined at Dortmund, though, and spent last season on loan.

“Sébastien has written a special story here,” Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl said in a statement Monday.

Weeks after signing for Dortmund in 2022, and before playing a game, Haller was diagnosed with a testicular tumor during the team’s preseason camp. After two operations and a course of chemotherapy, he returned to action just six months later.

Nine Bundesliga goals from Haller in the second half of the 2022-23 season put Dortmund on the verge of a long-awaited Bundesliga title but the team fell short in the final minutes of the season.

Injuries and inconsistent form meant Haller’s role in the Champions League final a year later was as a late substitute when Dortmund lost 2-0 to Real Madrid. It was to be his last game for Dortmund before loans last season with Leganes in Spain and then Utrecht.

Haller returns on a one-season contract to familiar surroundings at Utrecht, where his prolific scoring a decade ago helped to launch his career. He scored six times in 18 games on loan there last season to help the team finish fourth in the Dutch league, which put the team into the Europa League qualifying rounds.

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