World Cup stars of the Bundesliga: VfB Stuttgart’s Deniz Undav
No German player in any first division around the world scored as many goals in 2025/26 as VfB Stuttgart’s Deniz Undav. Boasting a great record for Germany since his debut only two years ago, the late bloomer has already opened his goals and assists accounts at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and could be key to Germany’s fate in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
Name: Deniz Undav
Club: VfB Stuttgart
Nation: Germany
International debut: 23 March 2024
Caps: 10
Goals: Seven
Stats correct as of 14 June 2026
How was his 2025/26 season?
In short: Excellent. The 29-year-old got 19 goals, of which only one was a penalty, to finish second in the Bundesliga scoring chart behind Harry Kane and beat his previous best in German football of 18 from 2023/24. He did it from just 29 appearances after a knee injury held him back in the early weeks of the campaign. The forward also provided six assists, as well as scoring three goals each in the UEFA Europa League and DFB Cup for a total of 25 across all competitions as Stuttgart reached the round of 16 and final respectively.
Watch: All 19 of Undav's Bundesliga goals last season
No player in the Bundesliga had more attempts on goal (121) than the former Brighton & Hove Albion and Union Saint-Gilloise man, who was playing in Germany’s fourth tier a decade ago. Although not used in the national team’s World Cup qualifiers, his domestic form prompted a return to the international fold in March’s friendlies and a place in the summer’s World Cup squad.
What he brings to the national team
Having not represented Germany at any level prior to 2024, Undav might’ve believed an international career was beyond him until earning his first senior cap at the age of 27 in a friendly against France. He was included in the squad for UEFA Euro 2024 on home soil but played only six minutes in a group game and didn’t score until his fourth appearance in September that year.
Since breaking that duck, however, his record for his nation has been very good, when allowed the chance to play. He has seven goals and four assists from 10 caps but only 397 minutes of playing time. Of the five games in which he has scored, Germany have won four and drawn one. He netted one and got two assists off the bench in the opening 7-1 win over Curaçao, becoming only the second player since 1966 to score and set up two more goals as a substitute at the World Cup, after James Rodríguez against Japan in 2014.
Undav’s combination of clinical finishing and ability to supply those around him offers Germany added flexibility in attack, given he can operate as the lone centre-forward as well as the second striker in a slightly deeper role. Standing at 5’10’’ with a stocky physique, he is somewhat shorter in stature than the other forward options of Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade and Maximilian Beier.
What his coaches say
“We have a player in Deniz who frequently makes the difference. You need a player who can finish off chances. We have more than just Deniz for that, but he must be mentioned first and foremost. His statistics are enormous.” – Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeneß
