Hertha BSC trailed Hamburger SV 2-1 and was in danger of being eliminated from the DFB Cup. In order to avoid elimination from the round of 16, Pál Dárdai resorted to a real Internet star.
Influencer Nader El-Jindaoui (with two million followers on Instagram) has been playing for the Old Lady’s U23 team since 2022 and was in the squad for the first time in the 5-1 win over Elversberg at the weekend . He also took part in the cup duel with HSV and replaced Florian Niederlechner in the 80th minute.
For the 27-year-old right winger, the dream of playing professionally for Hertha has come true. The remaining minutes will show if he will succeed. Fabian Reese’s goal to make it 2-2 means at least the match will go to extra time.