Deniz Undav produced the ultimate impact as he scored a brace to bail Germany out in their FIFA World Cup 2026 clash against the Ivory Coast on Sunday, June 21 (as per IST) at the Toronto Stadium. The Die Mannschaft were trailing 0-1 at the one-hour mark when the Stuttgart forward was called in as a substitute, and he scored a brace to power the 2014 champions into the knockouts for the first time since 2014.
Undav has been a late entrant in the German national team, having made his debut in 2024. It came after a stellar Bundesliga with Stuttgart in the 2023-24 season as he ended the league as his team’s second-highest goal-scorer with 18 strikes. However, his beginning was very humble as he worked in a factory as a machine operator for eight-hour-long shifts to make a living. He was once rejected by Werder Bremen, a Bundesliga club, saying that he was “too small”.ย
“When they told me at Bremen that I didnโt have a future with them because I was too small, it broke my heart. But I did not abandon hope. I left the family home at 17 to sign for Havelse in the semi-pro regional league in Germany. There, I combined playing and training with working full-time, eight-hour days operating a laser machine in a factory. I got up around 4 am, went to the factory, then I went to training and got back home around 8pm before doing it all again the next day,” Undav had told Belgian outlet 7sur7 in an interview before. โI had to do that job for the money to live because I was only earning around ยฃ120 a week and I couldnโt survive on the money from the football alone.”
The Varel-born stated that he is not fond of luxurious things and is content with the ones that make a living. “I am an ordinary guy, not at all one of the bling generation,” Undav had said. “I donโt have expensive tastes. I donโt wear expensive designer clothes, and I donโt drive a massive car. I know all about what it means to work hard to earn a living.”
Undav hasn’t had many chances to play for Germany. He made his debut in 2024 and was in the squad for the Euros 2024, but played only six minutes across the tournament. Even at the ongoing World Cup, he has been brought on as a late substitute. He was called in the 64th minute during Germany’s opener against Curacao and made two assists and scored a goal in his team’s 7-1 win.
Against the Ivory Coast, he had an even bigger impact. He scored two goals when it mattered the most. Coming in in the 60th minute, he found the first one in the 68th minute, volleying a ball past Yahia Fofana before a controlled one in the 94th minute to take his team home and into the knockouts.
ALSO READ |ย Deniz Undav’s brace rescues Germany vs Ivory Coast, sends them to knockouts for 1st time since 2014