Sebastian Haller fights back tears as ex-West Ham star opens up on battle with testicular tumour at award ceremony

SEBASTIAN HALLER struggled to fight back the tears after publicly opening up on his battle with a testicular tumour.

The ex-Ajax and West Ham striker attended an awards ceremony on Tuesday to collect his Eredivisie top scorer award for the 2021-22 season.

Haller netted 21 goals in 31 appearances for Ajax, helping them win the Dutch title.

His fine form earned him a move back to Germany to play for Borussia Dortmund.

However, after feeling unwell during the German side's pre-season tour of Switzerland, tests revealed a malignant tumour.

Haller has started chemotherapy, and looked very different on the awards stage without his usual full head of hair.

The 28-year-old revealed the early stages of treatment have not been easy.

He said: "The first two or three days during the hospital (visit) and two or three days after, it's not the best moment."

However, despite the struggle, Haller is keen to take the positives and paid tribute to those who have supported him.

His doting wife Priscilla also struggled to hold back the tears as her husband spoke.

He continued: "I'm lucky, I have people around me. My physio helped me every day to feel OK.

"The people also from Ajax for the food, people in Dortmund. It's not easy every day, but I feel great. 

"I think it's something that can happen to everyone. I say sometimes, lucky it's me because not everyone can have this difficult moment.

"I'm surrounded by a lot of people, but everything's fine. I feel good."

Haller is expected to be sidelined for "several months" while he undergoes treatment for his condition.