The Leipzig captain will donate stem cells in an attempt to save a stranger: "Football is secondary" - Voila! sport

German Cup summary: R.B.

Leipzig - Hoffenheim 1:3 (Sport1)

Willy Urban, captain of RB Leipzig, has not missed a single minute of play this season.

However, at the end of the week he is expected to be absent from his team's top game against Union Berlin, the runner-up.

The reason: he decided to donate stem cells to a stranger to save his life.

For this purpose, Orban will undergo a simple operation in a Dresden hospital on Wednesday after his blood type was found to match that of a man suffering from blood cancer.

A touching gesture.

Willy Urban (Photo: GettyImages, Stuart Franklin)

Urban, who registered in 2017 at the blood donor bank, commented on his beautiful gesture and said: "This is an opportunity to save a human life with very little effort. I may not play against Union Berlin, but that is secondary to what I do."

The 30-year-old Hungarian is a very important player in Marco Rosa's lineup and, as mentioned, he has not missed a minute of play so far this season.

"I was surprised at first when I received the information that I was suitable for donating blood," Urban added, "but I had no doubts. I wanted to promote it as quickly as possible. I really hope that my donation will help that man recover. Anyone who knows me knows that I will do everything to return to the team as soon as possible."

Leipzig is ranked fourth in the league and their victory will raise them above Union, second in the table, so this is a very important top game.

The Hungarian defender has been playing in Leipzig since 2015 after starting his career in Kaiserslautern, so he spends his entire career in Germany.

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• blood donation