A little hero with big feet: Janis' DFB Cup adventure in Berlin

A little hero with big feet: Janis' DFB Cup adventure in Berlin

On August 8, 2023, the eagerly awaited Westphalia Cup game between SG FA Herringhausen/Eickum and DSC Arminia Bielefeld took place in the Ludwig Jahn Stadium. Arminia Bielefeld secured the foundation for the rest of the season with a 2-0 win. This success paved the way for the eventual triumph in the DFB Cup final against SC Verl, which took place in May 2024. Qualification for the main round of the DFB Cup promptly followed with a 2-0 win in the first round game against Hannover.

In this context, ten-year-old Janis Hartwig, a student at the Widukind-Gymnasium Enger, won the opportunity to be a runner-up at the DFB Cup final through a competition organized by Neue Westfälische and Volkswagen. The news of the selection reached him during a visit to the hairdresser and caused great joy and excitement.

The way to Berlin

Janis plays in the E1 youth team of SG FA Herringhausen/Eickum and is supported by his father, Jan-Christoph Hartwig. He had promised him that he would go to Berlin if Arminia won against Bayer Leverkusen in the semi-finals. During this decisive game in the Schüco Arena, both experienced an emotional atmosphere that could go down in the history of their club.

Janis currently has high hopes that Arminia will be victorious again. With a 2-0 tip for the final, he is aiming for possible qualification for the Europa League. His favorite players with whom he would like to walk into the stadium include Louis Oppie, Stefano Russo and Jonas Kersken.

Bielefeld on the way to the DFB Cup final

In the last few games, Arminia Bielefeld showed a high level of motivation. In the semi-final against Siegen on April 1, 2025, Merveille Biankadi scored in the 85th minute of the game for the decisive 1-0 victory. Bielefeld took the game seriously and fielded a strong formation, making only minor changes to the lineup. Their opponent Siegen presented themselves as equals for a long time, but had previously prevailed on penalties in the rounds against Türkspor Dortmund and FC Gütersloh.

Bielefeld took control of the game, but failed to create clear scoring chances. The first half was characterized by an intense battle in which the teams hardly had any significant chances. In the second half, Bielefeld increased the pressure: a dangerous shot from joker Nassim Boujellab hit the crossbar, and a botched throw from Siegen goalkeeper Leon Klußmann was just saved on the line by Florian Mayer.

The narrow victory over Siegen strengthens Bielefeld, who are now well in the race for both the Westphalia Cup final and the DFB Cup final. On May 25, 2025, the amateur final day will be celebrated parallel to the DFB Cup final, when Arminia will once again be in the spotlight.