Tearful Heidenheim forward Eren Dinkçi dedicates goal to girlfriend with leukemia

HEIDENHEIM, Germany (AP) — Heidenheim goalscorer Eren Dinkçi was unable to hold back tears while fans celebrated his team’s win as he thought of his girlfriend with leukemia.

“The goal is for her, clearly,” the 24-year-old Dinkçi said after Heidenheim’s 2-0 win over St. Pauli in the Bundesliga on Saturday. “And I hope that it made her happy and the goal also gives her a bit of strength.”

Dinkçi, who’s on loan at Heidenheim from Freiburg, announced through both clubs’ websites this month that his girlfriend Cinja has leukemia and may need a stem cell donation.

Heidenheim organized a campaign with DKMS, a German-founded international charity helping people with blood cancer and blood disorders, to convince people to register as stem cell donors. Some 688 people registered around the team’s game in Freiburg last weekend, and more were expected to do so around the game in Heidenheim on Saturday.

In a statement on the Heidenheim website, Dinkçi and his girlfriend Cinja stressed the action was not for their own benefit but that their encounters with other patients had made an impression and they wanted to help others.

Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt said it was apt Dinkçi got the goal that sealed the win.

“It’s a story that moves people in Germany and around the world, it moves me, too,” Schmidt said. “Eren has the opportunity through his reach to help his family, his girlfriend, but also many other people. I think you can see how much it resonated today and last week. First and foremost we’re not footballers, football coaches or machines — we’re people.”

Heidenheim is last in the Bundesliga and its win over St. Pauli staved off relegation for another week at least.

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