Bundesliga goal-scorer Eren Dinkçi expresses heartfelt gratitude to Freiburg and Heidenheim fans for help with DKMS drive | OneFootball

Freiburg forward Eren Dinkçi (currently on loan at Heidenheim) scored a vital goal for his Bundesliga loan club on Saturday afternoon. The 24-year-old’s second goal since returning to Heidenheim helped his team secure a 2-0 victory over relegation rivals FC St. Pauli. The three points gained may not ultimately help last-placed Heidenheim avoid relegation, but that matters little in the context of Dinkçi’s current personal situation.

Dinkçi’s highly interesting professional journey has been covered in great depth in several Get German Football Newspieces. The fact that Dinkçi is enjoying some professional success at the club that he once scored 10 goals at during the 2023/24 Bundesliga campaign serves as an uplifting story in its own right. More uplifting still, however, is the fact that Dinkçi is performing well in the midst of a serious personal matter. 

A little less than two weeks ago, Dinkçi revealed that his partner Cinja was diagnosed with leukemia this past January. In a moving social media post, Dinkçi asked for help via the Tübingen-based German Bone Marrow Donor Registry (“Deutschen Knochenmarkspenderdatei -DKMS”). Fans from Freiburg were given a chance to register as stem cell donors via the weblink www.dkms.de/cinja).

The response to Eren Dinkçi’s appeal

Nearly 700 Freiburg supporters signed up days after Dinkçi’s appeal. Heidenheim supporters – given the chance to register on Saturday – have pushed registration numbers on Cinja’s page close to 1,400. DKMS official Christian Wehrfeld (quoted by Kicker) noted that “largest registration campaign in the past ten years in connection with a Bundesliga match” left his organization “overwhelmed by the tremendous response and the strong sense of solidarity.“

“I felt a great deal of support and willingness to help,” Dinkçi himself noted in a statement released on the Freiburg website earlier this week. “Many people approached me. Together with Cinja, I would like to thank all the fans who have informed themselves about the topic in recent days and registered.”

Dinçki thanks Freiburg and Heidenheim fans

“Today’s goal was absolutely dedicated to her,” Dinkçi – making no effort to hold back tears – told DAZN after today’s game. “I hope she enjoyed it and it gave her a little strength. I’m so glad that we could get the registration campaign kick-started in this world of football.”

Heidenheim express support for Dinkçi

“He’s been going through a lot personally lately and we’re doing our best to support him as a team,” Dinkçi’s teammate Niklas Dorsch added in the mixed zone. “He’s a truly lionhearted lad and I’m very happy for him.“

“He manages to clear his head for a bit in training and during the matches,” FCH head coach Frank Schmidt added in his own post-match interview. “It’s understandably an emotional topic; the fact that we can achieve a lot if we stick together.“

GGFN | Peter Weis