Philipp Hosiner was diagnosed for having a kidney tumor by the club doctor, Udo Martin. He was actually planned to join 1 FC Koln in January 2015 but the shock diagnosis made him fell through it. After undergoing surgery now he is back with new spirit and full fitness. He has finally completed his move to North Rhine-Westphalia.

The club doctor, Martin said when he followed Hosiner’s first training session with the Billy Goats that Hosiner found fortune in misfortune. There were two kinds of diagnosis. The first one was a shock since it was found a kidney tumor that required him to get surgery. The second diagnosis on the operating table was a positive one that the tumor he suffered was not benign and only was limited to the organ so it could be operated easily and did not need further treatment.

The striker now is eager to prove his abilities and qualities since he was offered a second chance to play in the match. Hosiner shared his feeling to the assembled press at Koln’s training ground about the difficult time he faced and went through when he suffered from kidney tumor, his recovery time and the targets that he set since moving to the cathedral city.

When he was asked about whether his initial reaction was one of frustration towards the doctor that gave him his original diagnosis, he answered with ‘No, of course not.’ He added that when he was diagnosed for having a kidney tumor he tried to convince the doctor to cancel the surgery until the summer. He was not aware about the size of the tumor or how hazardous it was but he realized that it needed to be removed quickly. He called his family to share the news with them and came to the conclusion that they will face it together and he would come back stronger as a result.

Another question asked by a reporter was how fit he is at the present. Hosiner stated that he has been at 100% for several weeks now. After having surgery, he was back in the first-team training in France for nine weeks. Moreover, he got an extended summer holiday but in fact he only had a few days where he did nothing at that time. He utilized his rest time to work on his physical endurance so if a club came calling he could jump straight into first-team training.