Freiburg striker Eren Dinkçi, who is currently on loan at Heidenheim, scored a crucial goal for his Bundesliga team on Saturday. The 24-year-old’s second goal since rejoining Heidenheim propelled his squad to a 2-0 triumph over relegation adversaries FC St. Pauli. While these points may not ultimately rescue Heidenheim from the relegation zone, they hold significant meaning for Dinkçi in light of his personal circumstances.
Dinkçi’s compelling professional journey has been thoroughly detailed in various articles by Get German Football News. His return to scoring form at a club where he netted 10 goals in the 2023/24 Bundesliga season is uplifting on its own. Even more heartening is that Dinkçi is thriving amidst personal challenges.
Just under two weeks ago, Dinkçi revealed that his partner, Cinja, had been diagnosed with leukemia in January. In a heartfelt social media post, Dinkçi called for support through the Tübingen-based German Bone Marrow Donor Registry (“Deutschen Knochenmarkspenderdatei – DKMS”). Freiburg fans were given the opportunity to register as stem cell donors via the link www.dkms.de/cinja.
Impact of Eren Dinkçi’s Appeal
In the days following Dinkçi’s appeal, almost 700 Freiburg supporters stepped up to register. On Saturday, Heidenheim fans also had the chance to join the cause, bringing the total registrations on Cinja’s page to nearly 1,400. Christian Wehrfeld, an official from DKMS, stated that the campaign was the “largest registration initiative in the past decade related to a Bundesliga match,” expressing how overwhelmed they were by the outpouring of solidarity.
“I received a tremendous amount of support and willingness to help,” Dinkçi commented in a statement released on the Freiburg website earlier this week. “Many individuals approached me, and together, Cinja and I would like to extend our gratitude to all the fans who have taken the time to learn about this issue and register.”
Dinkçi Expresses Gratitude to Fans
“This goal was completely for her,” Dinkçi remarked, holding back tears, in his post-match interview with DAZN. “I hope she felt it and that it gave her some strength. I’m truly grateful that we could initiate the registration campaign within this football community.”
Support from Heidenheim
“He’s been dealing with a lot personally, and as a team, we’re providing him with all the support we can,” said Dinkçi’s teammate Niklas Dorsch in a post-match conversation. “He’s a remarkably courageous individual, and I’m very happy for him.”
FCH head coach Frank Schmidt added, “He’s managing to clear his mind during training and matches, which is understandable given the emotional nature of the situation. It’s a reminder that we can accomplish so much more when we come together as a team.”