“The pressure is immense”: ex-BVB striker Haller battles at Utrecht | OneFootball

He could have gone down in history. But the usually reliable penalty taker Sébastien Haller (31) shot the ball straight into the arms of Mainz keeper Finn Dahmen (27). The championship trophy, which Borussia Dortmund thought was secure, slipped from their hands on May 27, 2023.

Throughout his career, Haller converted a total of 31 penalties. He failed from the spot only twice. Besides his miss against Mainz, Alkmaar's Tim Krul (37) was the winner against the Ivorian in the 2016/17 season – back then he was still playing for FC Utrecht.

In January 2025, the 34-time international from the Ivory Coast returned to Utrecht. Initially, he played on loan for half a year, then he made a permanent move to the Eredivisie. BVB received no transfer fee. In December 2019, Haller's market value was still 45 million euros.

During his first stint with the Domstedelingen, Haller was still very accurate. In 98 competitive matches, he scored 51 times. But his second spell in Utrecht has not been successful. Across all competitions, he has played 43 matches for the club so far. His record is rather modest with seven goals. In the current season, he has only managed to score once.

Utrecht owner dissatisfied

"We took the risk and it went wrong," Utrecht's owner Frans van Seumeren expressed his disappointment with the former Dortmund player's performances on ESPN. "He wanted to see if he could make it to the top again at his beloved club Utrecht, where he would get playing time. But it hasn't worked out. Everyone at the club likes him. That's why it hurts even more," quotes SPOX the 75-year-old.

Since the end of January, Haller has been struggling with a painful rib bruise. As a result, he has only been on the field four times this year. "It's questionable whether he will play again this season," van Seumeren is not very optimistic and passes the responsibility on. "It's up to the coach what he does with Haller."

Photo: IMAGO

Utrecht coach Ron Jans Haller (67) – neither related nor connected – gives the former BVB striker hope. "He is definitely fit to play again," the football coach is convinced. But the Ivorian must "work on his fitness and compete with the others." However, the coach also knows: "The pressure on this young man is so great."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.