Stefan Lainer from Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach is seriously ill. According to information from his club, the 30-year-old Austrian was diagnosed with lymph node cancer.
The right-back now has to undergo several months of therapy. “According to the doctors, the disease was discovered very early on and can be treated and cured very well with medication,” said Borussia: “There is a very high probability that health will then be completely restored and a normal life, including professional sports, will be possible .”
Gladbach’s sports director Roland Virkus assured that “everything will be done to ensure that Stevie receives the best possible treatment and wish him and his family a lot of strength and optimism in the fight against this disease.” On behalf of Lainer fans and the media, the club asked “for your understanding that no medical details about the treatment and the healing process will be published beyond today’s information.”
Ex-colleagues shocked
The diagnosis also caused deep dismay among colleagues at arch-rivals 1. FC Köln. “That shocked us all,” said Florian Kainz, who played with Lainer in the Austrian national team and 13 years ago in the U19 selection, at the request of the German Press Agency.
And made a direct appeal to colleagues. “Dear Stevie! I wish you, your wife, your son and your entire family a lot of strength. You’ve always been a fighter, on and off the pitch. That’s why you will do it too. I wish you only the best and I’m positive, to get this over with as soon as possible.”
Benno Schmitz, who played with Lainer in Salzburg in 2015/16, was also depressed. “It affected the whole team,” he said: “It’s difficult to hear something like that, especially when you know someone personally. I’ll definitely get back to him personally. But I wish him and his family All the best and a lot of strength on this path. Hopefully we’ll see each other again soon on the pitch.”
