SEBASTIEN HALLER says the hardest part of his cancer battle was telling his children he was sick and needed to go to hospital.
The Borussia Dortmund striker, 28, was diagnosed with a testicular tumour just two weeks after signing for the club as Erling Haaland's replacement.
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He underwent four rounds of chemotherapy and had two operations before returning to training last week with an Apple watch to track all his data.
And as he prepares to make his debut against Dusseldorf in a friendly today, Haller opened up on an emotional six months.
And discussing his illness with his young kids alongside wife Priscilla proved incredibly difficult.
He told Bild: "I first discussed with my wife how best to explain it to our children.
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"We looked online for tips and asked other people. We then found a way and explained it to them with a small video.
"The hardest part was getting them to understand that while I'm fine right now, I'm sick and need to be hospitalised – even for a few weeks or months.
"We wanted to be honest, the kids are smart and have good senses themselves, so we didn't want to try to hide anything from them.
"Luckily they took it well, I laughed a lot at home, played a lot with them.
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"In the beginning it wasn't like usual, of course – my older son often wanted to jump on me, so I had to tell him: 'not yet'. But now everything is fine."
Haller added he did not cry when he found out the news but was instantly determined to beat the cancer.
The Ivory Coast forward continued: "I knew immediately: I have no other choice. The choices are limited.
"It won't do you any good if you put yourself in a depression.
"So I said to myself: stay positive, bring your family and friends together. You're not alone. So go through it together with them.
"When I got home, my wife had prepared a few small posters with the news from my family. Mum, dad, brother, sister.
"That was actually the most emotional thing. But there was also an incredible amount of uplifting news from the football world, I can't even list everyone.
"The president of Ivory Coast was there, my former clubs and of course a lot of players, Luka Jovic and Ante Rebic also wrote to me which made me happy."
Haller encourages everyone, not just footballers, to get regular health check-ups in case they detect any problems.
Now the striker is focusing on regaining his match sharpness ahead of his debut for Dortmund following the £28million transfer from Ajax.
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The vision of playing and scoring in front of the famous Yellow Wall at Signal Iduna Park has been replayed over and over in his mind for the last six months.
And that first goal will hopefully not be far away – and will be a special moment for Haller, his family and his new adoring fans.
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