How could this be? "Leaving hometown team to care for fiancée with leukemia" — the 24th-year-old's reason for joining Bremen: "Not money or career, but love."

*This content was translated by AI.

Eren Dinc (24), who plays in Germany's Bundesliga, has been loaned back to his hometown club Werder Bremen to care for his fiancée, who is battling leukemia.

Germany's "Bild" reported that Dinc's decision to leave Freiburg this summer and join Bremen on a one-year loan was influenced by his fiancée's illness.

Dinc signed a one-year loan deal with Bremen on the 17th. He joined Bremen's youth team in 2019, made his first-team debut in 2020, played for Heidenheim, and transferred to Freiburg in 2024.

However, the situation changed earlier this year when his fiancée, Sinja, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She wanted to receive treatment in her hometown surrounded by family and friends while undergoing chemotherapy. Dinc also stated, "She wanted to be close to home," explaining his return to Bremen.

Freiburg, his original club, accommodated the player's personal circumstances by waiving certain transfer conditions. They removed the mandatory permanent transfer clause and lowered the loan fee to approximately 400,000 euros (about 640 million won).

The couple announced her illness in April and launched a campaign with organizations such as the German Bone Marrow Donor Center (DKMS) to encourage hematopoietic stem cell donations. In July, Dinc also shared a video of himself shaving his fiancée's head after chemotherapy caused her hair loss.

Meanwhile, there have been past cases in football where careers were sacrificed for family illness. In 2004, Cesare Prandelli stepped down as AS Roma manager; in 2005, former Celtic FC manager Martin O'Neill resigned to care for his wife. Luis Enrique also gave up his role as Spain national team coach in 2019 to treat his nine-year-old daughter's osteosarcoma while managing Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

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*This content was translated by AI.