Deniz Undav: Who is the VfB Stuttgart and Germany striker?
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 14 June 2026
Age: 28 (born 19 July 1996)
Club: VfB Stuttgart
Position: Forward
Country: Germany (10 caps, seven goals)
Key stats
Undav finished 2025/26 as the Bundesliga's highest-scoring German national, with 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 goals, though 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 2020, and barely got a look-in at Brighton & Hove Albion before bedding down in Stuttgart, the 2026 World Cup is Undav's second major tournament with Germany. The 5'10" forward got his first World Cup goal in the opening 7-1 win over Curaçao, as well as providing two assists off the bench. He's 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, taking his Germany tally to seven goals and four assists in 10 senior caps, meaning he's contributed a goal every 36 minutes he's on the pitch for his country.
Watch: What makes Deniz Undav different from other strikers?
Plays a bit like: Antoine Griezmann
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 have done plenty of talking on his behalf.
He offers Germany flexibility up front, having showed for club and country that he can both lead the line outright and operate as a second striker who can hold up the ball and link up the play. Scoring goals remains his primary role but setting up others is another important string to his bow, akin to former Real Sociedad, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and France forward Griezmann, just with a bigger stature.
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." - Germany coach Julian 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
