Ivory Coast hero who survived cancer ruled out of Afcon

Sébastien Haller, the striker who led host nation Ivory Coast to the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title in the last edition, has been ruled out of this year’s tournament in Morocco due to injury.

The Ivorian Federation of Football (FIF) announced on social media on Friday that the 31-year-old will miss the upcoming edition.

Haller reportedly sustained a hamstring injury on 14 December while playing for Dutch club Utrecht against NAC Breda.

Aston Villa player Evann Guessand is set to replace him in the Ivorian squad.

Haller's absence is a significant blow, given his heroic performance in the 2023 Afcon.

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He missed the start of that tournament due to an ankle injury, but returned to score winning goals for Ivory Coast against Congo in the semi-finals and Nigeria in the final.

The host nation completed a remarkable turnaround after near elimination, with Haller becoming the team’s hero just one year after returning from cancer treatment.

Premier League fans will be familiar with Haller from his time at West Ham. Haller joined the Hammers in 2019 for a club-record £45m fee, but struggled for goals and was sold to Ajax two years later.

Haller netted 47 goals in 66 games for the Dutch club, leading to him earning a move to Borussia Dortmund.

Shortly after joining the German giants, Haller became unwell during pre-season in July 2022 and he was subsequently diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Haller underwent treatment and was cleared to return to training at the end of 2022 before he made an emotional return to competitive football in January 2023.

He became a national icon 12 months later when he led Ivory Coast to Afcon glory, but his nation will have to cope without him this time.

Ivory Coast are due to begin their Afcon campaign against Mozambique on Wednesday, 24 December.