VfB Stuttgart striker Deniz Undav is making a strong case to lead the line for Germany at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Find out more on the hotshot forward below…
Stats correct as of 1 June 2026
Deniz Undav
Age: 28 (born 19 July 1996)
Club: VfB Stuttgart
Position: Forward
Country: Germany (eight caps, six goals)
Key stats
Undav finished 2025/26 as the Bundesliga’s highest-scoring German nationalwith a 19-goal haul bettered league wide only by England’s Harry Kane. He also scored three times in the DFB Cup, as well as three in the UEFA Europa League. It’s the second time in three seasons of German top-flight football he’s hit double figures for league goalsthough his career-best tally to date remains a 25-strike spree in Belgium for Union Saint-Gilloise (2021/22).
Incredibly for a player who was operating out of Germany’s lower leagues as recently as 2020and barely got a look-in at Brighton & Hove Albion before bedding down in Stuttgart, Undav is set to play at his second major tournament with Germany when the World Cup 2026 rolls around. The 5’11” forward has already registered eight goal involvements in as many senior appearances for his country, at a clip of one every 43 minutes.
Watch: What makes Deniz Undav different from other strikers?
Plays a bit like: Niclas Füllkrug
Undav’s return to Germany in the summer of 2023 was fuelled partly by his desire to represent his country at Euro 2024. Having never played for his nation before – not even at youth level – Undav is at a prime age for a footballer, and his goals did plenty of talking on his behalf.
Germany already had a player in former Borussia Dortmund target man Füllkrug, who provides a mould that Undav is filling nicely, with a similar predatory presence in the penalty area and an aerial threat. Undav can lead the frontline, holding the play up for teammates, or be the target for pin-point crosses.
Did you know?
When Undav joined Brighton, it was only his third season as a professional footballer. His second season was with St Gilloise, having only been an amateur at previous clubs Havelse and Meppen. He was, therefore, philosophical about his first six months in England.
“If I’m not playing from the start in six months or the first year, it’s nothing to be ashamed of,” he told The Athletic. “I’m trying to do something that’s really hard. From Belgium to the Premier League is like five, six levels higher. The Belgian league was hard for me in the beginning too, because it was my second year as a professional.”
What they’re saying
“He is a positive, life-affirming guy who is good for us – on and off the pitch. He is someone we are very happy to have with us. He is doing very well at Stuttgart and is their guarantee that they will score a lot of goals.” – Nagelsmann
“He’s a genuine striker who has a gut feeling for being in the right place.” – Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth
“He’s had a really interesting career: he’s had to fight a lot to get where he is now and that shows a lot about his character. He’s a goalscorer who makes players better around him.” – former Brighton manager Graham Potter
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