Sébastien Haller’s turbulent three-year spell at Borussia Dortmund came to an end Monday as the Ivorian striker sealed a move to Dutch side Utrecht.
Haller’s time in Germany began in 2022 with a shock cancer diagnosis before he had played a single game. Following two surgeries and chemotherapy, he returned six months later, scoring nine Bundesliga goals in the second half of the 2022-23 season as Dortmund narrowly missed out on the league title.
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He also reached last season’s Champions League final with the German club, coming on as a substitute in the 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid. In the same period, he lifted the African Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast.
Despite those highs, injuries and loss of form left Haller sidelined, and he spent last season on loan — first at Spain’s Leganés and then at Utrecht, where he netted six goals in 18 appearances to help them secure fourth place in the Dutch league.
Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl praised Haller, saying, “He has written a special story here.”
The 30-year-old striker has now signed a one-year deal with Utrecht, returning to the club where a decade ago his prolific scoring first put him on the European stage.
Source: Agency