Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterDenis Undav turns 30 on Sunday, July 19. A significant date for another reason it's is the date of the 2026 World Cup Final which will be played at the cavernous MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and it wouldnt be a surprise to many if Germany were involved in it.Undav is the unlikely hero, whose two goals off the bench saw Julian Nagelsmanns team come from behind to beat Ivory Coast and win Group E with a match to spare.Germany will play Ecuador in their last group fixture before meeting a third-placed team at Gillette Stadium in the round of 32. Undavs unexpected impact could be exactly the springboard they needed.Play our free match predictor and win �1kHow revitalised Deniz Undav has become Germanys secret weaponIf there are any Stuttgart flags on the way to MetLife for Germanys clash with Ecuador on Thursday, FIFA officials will be checking them for images of Undav.Germanys attacking threat is more about maximising dynamic forward players than funnelling their play towards one focal point but Undavs return to German football two years ago has seen him emerge as a potent source of firepower. You may like Germany squad World Cup 2026: The team to face Curacao How to watch Germany vs Ivory Coast for FREE How to watch Germany vs Curacao for FREE Undav also scored Germanys seventh goal against Curacao in their first Group E match. Only Lionel Messi, the World Cups record scorer, has more goals in the early part of this summers tournament.The 29-year-old centre-forward never represented his country at under-age levels and didnt make his senior international debut until March 2024, at the age of 27. He scored his first international goal six months later.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.Of his 11 caps, eight have been as a substitute. Nagelsmann has been able to extract from Undav a highly effective streak of useful goals that includes six goals in his last five appearances and three in two at the World Cup.In all, the former Premier League striker has scored nine goals in 427 minutes of international football, a rate of nearly one every 45 minutes. Thats the sort of record that can make for a very handy tournament player.If Undav seems to have come out of nowhere at the international level, his emergence wont surprise anyone familiar with his time at Stuttgart. What to read next Two England wonderkids have already scored at the World Cup - but not for Thomas Tuchel How to watch World Cup 2026: FREE live streams, groups, next matches Germany vs Curacao prediction, as the four-time World Cup winners take on a tournament debutant Undav joined the Tony Bloom stable when he signed for Union Saint-Gilloise in 2020. After two prolific seasons in Belgium and five goals in 22 Premier League appearances for Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022-23, the Lower Saxony-born centre-forward went on loan to Stuttgart and hasnt looked back.Life in the Bundesliga has strapped rocket skates to a late-blooming hitman. Undav signed for Stuttgart permanently in August 2024 and has been scoring for fun ever since.Just ask Borussia Dortmund against whom he scored a hat-trick last November, or Augsburg, who conceded two Undav goals on two separate occasions last season.Nagelsmann might not have a truly elite centre-forward but what he does have in Kai Havertz and Undav is one forward whos everything he needs and one with the wherewithal to turn things around if that doesnt work.Could Deniz Undav fire Germany to the World Cup final on his birthday? Let us know in the comments belowTOPICSGermanyStuttgartWorld CupWorld Cup 2026Chris NeeChris is a Warwickshire-based freelance football writer specialising in West Midlands football, the Premier League, the EFL and the J.League. He is the author of the High Protein Beef Paste football newsletter and owner of Aston Villa Review. He supports Coventry Sphinx.
