Deniz Undav Proves His Worth for Germany at the World Cup

It was not long ago that his manager Julian Nagelsmann called him out publicly - but Deniz Undav is proving himself a key player for Germany at the World Cup.

Undav's double in the dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Ivory Coast again underlined his value, sending Die Mannschaft into the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time since their victorious 2014 campaign.

With three goals and two assists, the striker has five goal involvements in two appearances off the bench - the joint-most by a substitute at a World Cup since 1966 (tying Cameroon's Roger Milla in 1990).

But the 29-year-old's place in Germany's World Cup squad was far from certain after a public row with Nagelsmann following his last-gasp winner as a substitute against Ghana in March.

Undav had spoken openly of his ambition to push for a starting role with Germany - only for the former RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich manager to respond by warning he was placing unnecessary pressure on himself with such comments.

Nagelsmann suggested Undav would not have scored had he played from the start, before later revealing he had apologised to the forward.

And Undav has since let his football do the talking - in emphatic fashion.

So much so that he is now in serious contention for a starting spot at the World Cup, after taking his tally to nine goals in 11 international matches.

"Yes, definitely," Nagelsmann said after Saturday's win, when asked whether Undav could start Germany's final group game against Ecuador on Thursday (21:00 BST).

"I said before we can talk a lot about the different approaches. Why should I ruin his flow? He came in twice and got goals twice."

It is only the latest chapter in a remarkable journey for a striker who has made a career of defying expectations.

With his double against the Ivorians, Undav became the first German to score in his first two World Cup appearances since Miroslav Klose in 2002.

That is elite company - but at one stage even taking part in a World Cup was a distant dream for Undav, who was rejected by Werder Bremen aged 14.

At 17, he was earning £120 a week as a semi-professional in the German fourth tier while balancing his footballing career with eight-hour shifts at 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 said in an interview with Belgian outlet 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."

Undav moved to Belgian second division side Union Saint-Gilloise in 2020, helping them earn promotion the following year and then scoring 25 goals in the top flight - which earned him a move to Brighton.

But after only scoring five goals in 22 Premier League appearances in 2022-23 season, he was loaned out to Stuttgart who signed him permanently in 2024.

Undav hit 19 Bundesliga goals in 2025-26 - finishing second behind Harry Kane in the top scoring list - to earn his World Cup spot.

Nagelsmann has preferred Arsenal's Kai Havertz up front in Germany's wins against Curacao and Ivory Coast - but Undav has now made a strong case for a rethink.

"When the game opens up he is great moving around," said the Germany boss.

"I could say keep your flow and it's better you come in as the finisher. He really reached the highest point for the World Cup.

"I could have him in the starting line-up. Every player would love to start, but I think he is happy as it 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 sub. Deniz doesn't need to be prepared, he can jump in right away."

In his last start for Germany, Undav scored twice and provided an assist in a 4-0 friendly win against Finland on 31 May.

"It's a great feeling," said the Stuttgart forward after taking home the player-of-the-match award against the Ivorians.

"I wanted to have it last time, it didn't work. Its wonderful, a fantastic feeling. For me to get the trophy is extraordinary, but the important thing is we won the game and go into the next round and see what happens."

If he keeps up this form, more honours could be on the way - perhaps even the biggest prize of them all as Germany chase a fifth World Cup crown.