5 things about Germany’s super-sub forward Deniz Undav

Late bloomer Deniz Undav signed his first professional contract only in his 20s after spending years in Germany’s lower divisions. Now the 29-year-old has helped Germany qualify for the knockout phase of the World Cup for the first time since 2014, coming on as a substitute to score a brace against Ivory Coast.

1. He used to work in a factory

After he was rejected by Bundesliga club Werder Bremen at 14 for “being too small”, he joined fourth division side TSV Havelse where he also worked shifts in a factory.

“When Werder told me at 14 that I didn’t have a future with them because I was too small, it broke my heart,” Undav told Belgian news website 7sur7.

“But I did not abandon hope. I left the family home at 17 to sign for Havelse in the fourth division in Germany where I combined playing and training with working full-time, eight-hour days operating a laser machine in a factory.

“I got up around 4am, went to the factory, then I went to training and got back home around 8pm... before doing it all again the next day.

“I had to do that job for the money to live because I couldn’t survive on the money from the football alone.”

He signed his first pro contract at the age of 23 with Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise. After turning out for English Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, he returned home to play for Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart.

2. He is of Yazidi heritage

Undav’s parents are Kurdish Yazidis from south-eastern Turkey, and his grandfather emigrated to Germany following a 1980 military coup.

Undav, who grew up in Achim, Germany, is the first footballer of Yazidi heritage to represent Germany at a major tournament.

3. He is Germany’s leading scorer at this World Cup

In Germany’s 7-1 win against Curacao, 64th-minute substitute Undav became only the second player since 1966 to score and set up two goals as a substitute at the World Cup, after Colombia’s James Rodriguez against Japan in 2014.

Undav then came on in the 60th minute against Ivory Coast and scored a brace to help Germany win 2-1 and reach the knockout stages for the first time since 2014.

His cameos in both games have yielded three goals and two assists in 56 minutes of action, an average of a goal contribution every 11 minutes and 12 seconds.

4. He is the highest-scoring German in the 2025-26 Bundesliga season

Undav finished the 2025-26 season as the Bundesliga’s highest-scoring German, with a 19-goal haul in 29 games, bettered only by England’s Harry Kane (36 in 31 games). Undav also scored three times each in the German Cup and Europa League.

This is the second time in three seasons of German top-flight football that he has hit double figures in league goals.

5. He is Stuttgart’s record signing

Undav joined Stuttgart from Brighton for a club record fee of €26.7 million (S$40 million) in 2024.

At Brighton, he managed only five goals in 22 EPL appearances in the 2022-23 season and spent the following season on loan with Stuttgart, where he scored 18 goals in 30 league games.

Brighton wanted to keep him for the 2024-25 season, but Undav opted to stay with Stuttgart, who made the move permanent.