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Ann-Katrin Berger has been with Chelsea since 2019
Photo:
Catherine Ivill/Getty Images
A cancer recurrence in the thyroid gland has been found in German national soccer player Ann-Katrin Berger.
The Chelsea goalkeeper announced this in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
Berger formulated the post combatively.
"I've said before that as an athlete you have to fight every day," wrote the 31-year-old, "and I will continue to do so." She hopes that other people who are in a similar situation will follow her could help their open dealings.
Her treatment will begin as early as this week, and she works closely with her club doctor and a specialist in London.
"I am confident that my treatment will be just as effective as last time and I look forward to returning to the field."
Berger was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2017 when she was still playing in Birmingham.
She underwent surgery, received radioiodine therapy and was back on the field just four months after her diagnosis.
The illness woke her up at the time, she said in a SPIEGEL interview in January 2021: "I feel stronger than before."
After her first cancer diagnosis, Berger experienced the best phase of her football career.
She made her debut in the German national team in December 2020 and has won the English Women's Super League with Chelsea in the past two seasons.
When the DFB selection took second place at the European Championships in England in the summer, Berger was there as a substitute goalkeeper.
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