It hasn’t been long since he was publicly criticized by coach Julian Nagelsmann. But Deniz Undav is proving himself to be a crucial player for Germany at the World Cup.
Undavi’s two goals in a dramatic 2:1 win over Ivory Coast confirmed his worth.
With Undavi’s goals, “Die Manchaft” secured first place in the group and advancement to the knockout stage for the first time since 2014, when they won the World Cup.
Undav has actually been involved in five goals already. He has three goals and two assists. He was a substitute in both games. Only Roger Milla of Cameroon was so influential in the first two games of the 1990 World Cup.
The 29-year-old’s place in Germany’s World Cup squad was far from certain after a public spat with Nagelsmann following his winning goal against Ghana in March. Even in that match, he was only a substitute, and he scored in the last minute.
Undav had openly spoken about his ambition to be a starter in Germany. But Nagelsmann said the striker was putting unnecessary pressure on himself with such comments.
Nagelsmann suggested he would not have scored if he had played from the start. He later apologized to the attacker for this statement.
Undav has since let football do the talking. And that “loud”.
He is now in strong competition for a starting spot in the World Cup. Undav has nine goals in 11 appearances for Germany.
“Yes, definitely,” Nagelsmann said after Saturday night’s win, when asked if Undav could start next game.
Germany plays Ecuador on Thursday, but has already secured first place in the group.
“You said before that we can talk a lot about different approaches. Why should you break his flow? He came in twice and scored goals both times.”
It’s the latest chapter in a remarkable journey for a striker who has made a career out of defying expectations.
Work for a living
With the two goals against Ivory Coast, Undav became the first German to score in his first two World Cup appearances since Miroslav Klose in 2002.
He is now in the elite group, but at one point participating in the World Cup was a distant dream for Undavi. He was rejected by Werder Bremen at the age of 14.
At the age of 17 he was earning around €140 a week as a semi-professional in the German fourth tier. He balanced his football career with eight-hour shifts in a factory.
“When Werder told me at the age of 14 that I had no future with him because I was too young, it broke my heart,” Undav said in an interview.
“But I had hope. I left the family home at 17 to sign for Havelse in the fourth division in Germany. I combined playing and training with full-time work, eight hours a day. I ran a laser machine in a factory. I used to wake up at four in the morning. I’d go to the factory, then train and come home around 8 in the evening. And that’s what I did every day. I had to do that job for the money to live. I couldn’t survive on football money alone,” the World Cup star has already said.
Undav moved to Belgian second division side Union Saint-Gilloise in 2020. Helped him to the elite in his second year. In the Belgian elite, he scored 25 goals and this ensured a transfer to Brighton in England.
But after scoring just five goals in 22 Premier League appearances in the 2022/2023 campaign, he was loaned out to Stuttgart. The German club fully transferred him in 2024.
In the last edition, he had 19 goals in the Bundesliga. Only Harry Kane had more. And this number of goals opened the doors for the World Cup.
The highest point
Coach Nagelsmann has preferred Arsenal’s Kai Havertz in attack in the victories over Curaçao and Ivory Coast. But Undav has opened the battle.
“When the game opens he is very good in movement,” said the German coach. “I can tell him to keep the current performance and that it is better to come in as a finalist. He really reached the highest point for the World Cup. I can have him in the starting line-up. Every player wants to start, but I think he is happy the way he is now because he played an important role and we are happy with his performance. For Deniz it was clear, he gave us a lot in the last game when he was a substitute. Deniz needs to be prepared, it can be thrown immediately”.
Finally, as a starter, Undav had played on May 31 against Finland. He had scored two goals and made an assist in the 4:0 victory.
“It’s a great feeling,” said the Stuttgart striker after being named man of the match against Ivory Coast.
“I wanted to have it last time, but it didn’t work. It’s great, a fantastic feeling. For me to get the trophy is incredible, but the important thing is that we won the game and we’re in the next round. Let’s see what happens.”
If it continues the same, more prizes await. Perhaps even the biggest prize possible – Germany’s fifth world title.
