5 Top Footballers Who Beat Cancer: Arjen Robben, Eric Abidal and Other Footballers Who Had Cancer

• The news of Sebastien Haller's diagnosis of testicular cancer was received with shock with many footballers and personalities coming together to wish him a quick recovery
• Arjen Robben and Eric Abidal are some of the high-profile players to have suffered from cancer but made full recoveries
• Many other footballers went back to playing or leading other lives after undergoing chemotherapy sessions and beating cancer

Borussia Dortmund recently confirmed that their new striker Sebastien Haller had been diagnosed with testicular cancer. Haller complained of feeling unwell during Dortmund's training session in Switzerland and after tests, a tumour was discovered.

It was definitely disheartening for the Ivory Coast international given that he was preparing to take over the reins left by Erling Haaland. But which other footballer have suffered and beat cancer before? Sports Brief complied a list of the top five footballers who beat cancer.

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Football

1. Arjen Robben

The former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich winger was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 20. He made a full recovery and played an integral part in Chelsea's title triumph in the 20004/2005 season.

2. Eric Abidal

The Barcelona defender was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2011. He had surgery and made a swift return to football. He even played the whole 90 minutes in Barcelona's 2011 Champions League win against Manchester United.

3. Jonas Guttierez

The Newcastle United midfielder was discovered to be suffering from testicular cancer after a challenge from Arsenal's Bacary Sagna that left him in pain. He undertook chemotherapy sessions from 2013. He won a lawsuit against Newcastle in 2016 for discriminatory charges.

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Football

4. Jose Francisco Molina

The former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper announced in 2002 that he had testicular cancer. He went through an operation but the problem reoccured the following year. He has since made a full recovery and is currently the sporting director of the Spanish Football Federation.

5. German Burgos

The Atletico Madrid assistant manager had kidney cancer when he was 33 years old. He went through the necessary surgery and came back to football to help Diego Simeone disrupt the dominance of Barcelona and Real Madrid in la Liga.