So pretty much the first thing Artem Zaloha did after the final whistle was to make a call. “I called my father and asked him: ‘Did you see the game?'” said the 15-year-old goalkeeper from Arminia Bielefeld, who had just won the German championship with the U17s of the second division team. His father replied: “How could I miss this game?” Then, according to Artem Zaloha, his father said to him that he was very proud of him.
It’s a moving story that culminated last Sunday in the Bielefeld Arena. There, the B-Youth of Armina defeated VfL Wolfsburg 2-1 (0-0) in the final. Artem Zaloha was in goal for East Westphalia. He has only been in Bielefeld for a good year and has only been with Arminia since January. Because Artem is a war refugee. In March 2022 he came to East Westphalia from the Ukraine with his mother and little brother.
A difficult time lies behind him. The unexpected turn that his life took seems particularly unreal to him. When he walked through the players’ tunnel onto the lawn of the “Alm” before the final and suddenly heard and saw the more than 8,000 spectators, he got “goosebumps all over his body”. “I’ve never played in front of so many people,” he told Arminia’s club media: “There was tension in the game too. And after about 25 minutes I thought to myself: This is going to be a long day today.” He laughed shyly.
Artem Zaloha during the final between Arminia Bielefeld and VfL Wolfsburg
Quelle: Getty Images
With every sentence, Zaloha says that he may have dreamed of what is happening to him, but never expected it to actually happen. But it is reality. And suddenly he even has a chance of a career as a professional soccer player.
“He didn’t say a word, but kept every ball”
For Zaloha it is therefore clear: He wants to stay in Germany. “Definitely for the next five years. There are a lot more options here,” he explained. A return to Ukraine is currently out of the question anyway. “But even after the war it would be difficult there.” Because then the country would first have to be rebuilt. It may be years before there are good conditions for professional sport again.
Zaloha comes from Dnipro, the fourth largest city in Ukraine with almost one million inhabitants. Here he played in the youth of SK Dnipro-1, the local first division team. “In Dnipro, at the time we left, the war was not that far advanced. Nevertheless, as a family, we decided to leave the country,” Artem recalls. They came to Bielefeld because a friend of his mother’s lives there. “My father couldn’t come because men are only allowed to leave Ukraine under certain conditions,” he said.
In Bielefeld he first joined the district club VfL Schildesche. But there he was told that he was too good and placed with VfL Theesen. The Theesener are known in Bielefeld for their good youth work. However: They had never seen a goalkeeping talent like Artem there either. “He couldn’t speak a word of English or German, didn’t say a word, didn’t make a face, but saved every ball that came on goal,” tweeted Paul Neu, the U16 coach at VfL Theesen on Monday – the day after the U17 final.
It was impressive how Artem settled into his new surroundings. “Although he had to go through a lot after the start of the war, he tried to integrate quickly. After a week he knew everyone’s name and spoke his first words of German,” says Neu. At the beginning of the current season, Zaloha became the regular keeper, shortly afterwards he was promoted to the U17s because of his good performances. It was also new who helped arrange Zaloha’s trial training session with Arminia.
Equal top performers: Zaloha (2nd from right)
Quelle: Getty Images for DFB
The timing was good as the Arminen were urgently looking for a keeper for their U17s because their first-choice goalkeeper was injured. Artem’s first games were the two semi-finals for the championship against Schalke 04. In the meantime, his performances have earned him the respect of his fellow players and coaches at DSC as well. “The boys welcomed me straight away,” said Artem, who now hopes to be able to take the next steps at Arminia. The level is higher than in Dnipro. “Nevertheless, I managed to assert myself and play in the team,” he said quite confidently.
Family reunification as the greatest wish
Artem Zaloha has made his home in Bielefeld. Football helped him integrate. As part of a school internship, he also acted as a trainer for the Theesener U12. This helped him to improve his German. However, his big dream is to become a professional.
In spite of this, his thoughts are still often at home – be it with his former teammates in Dnipro or with his father. His most pressing wish is “that the war will be over as soon as possible and that my father can come to Germany.” He hopes “that we can get back together as a family as soon as possible.”
