VfB striker Deniz Undav is currently the best German goalscorer and should keep Stuttgart in the cup. A former VfB striker praises the shooting star ran in the highest tones.
By Carolin Blüchel
Bayer Leverkusen is particularly trembling in front of him in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup this evening (8:45 p.m. in the live ticker): VfB clipper Deniz Undav. With 13 goals and five assists in the current Bundesliga season, the 27-year-old is currently the best German striker.
In the last two games alone, the 5-2 against RB Leipzig and the 3-1 at SC Freiburg, he scored four times and added two more goals.
According to “Bild”, national coach Julian Nagelsmann has already promised him a place in the squad for the international matches in March against France (March 23) and the Netherlands (March 26). Much to the delight of VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß.
“Deniz does exactly what he can and must do: draw attention to himself with performance. He does that really well,” Hoeneß enthused about his protégé before the cup semi-final. “I think if he keeps doing that, he’ll have a great chance.”
Former VfB sports director and goalscorer Fredi Bobic also shares this assessment.
“It’s a pleasure to watch him. If he keeps playing like this for the next two or three months, Julian Nagelsmann won’t be able to get past him. That’s logical,” said Bobic ran.
Undav has a real chance of being at the European Championships in his own country.
the essentials in brief
Selected as a young player at Werder
It was only in December that Undav, who has Turkish roots, decided to have the eagle on his chest. At the advanced age of 27. The question did not arise before.
The Swabians’ shooting star had a rather bumpy career until the summer.
Born in a suburb of Bremen, he tried his luck at Werder in his youth in vain. He was discarded five years later as “too small and too fat”.
“As a little boy, everyone had the dream of becoming a footballer. And it felt like my dream had shattered when Werder couldn’t continue,” said Undav later in an interview.
But giving up was not an option. Through the youth departments of SC Weyhe and TSV Havelse, he finally became a regular player in the 2015/16 season and was named top scorer in the Regionalliga Nord with 32 goals and 14 assists.
Setbacks followed. At Eintracht Braunschweig he was unable to assert himself in the professional team. At SV Meppen in the 3rd league he didn’t want to go sour either.
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Belgium’s second division as a turning point
The turning point came when the then Belgian second division club Union Saint-Gilloise expressed interest in 2020. “I immediately felt a completely different appreciation. I may have had a few kilos too much at the time, but that can be changed,” Undav remembered at “sportschau.de”.
The move to Belgium was like an initial spark. With Union SG he immediately achieved promotion and was spectacularly runner-up in the following season – top scorer included. No wonder the Premier League took notice of him.
Undav showed solid performances at Brighton & Hove Albion, but it wasn’t enough for a regular place. Which is why the English agreed to a loan with an option to buy (18 million euros) last summer. It is quite conceivable that they are cursing the day today.
In the Bundesliga, Undav became the discovery of the season. Even in the absence of super snapper Serhou Guirassy, he kept VfB Stuttgart on course for the Champions League.
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Bobic raves about Undav
What Bobic particularly admires about the 27-year-old is his versatility. “He’s not a typical center forward, not a huge edge like Füllkrug, who waits for the balls at the front. He also acts well between the spaces, so he can almost play like a ten. In addition, of course, he uses the people next to him very well and is also very technical strong.”
Undav is a playing striker who is involved in offensive actions on the last or penultimate ball. He could also make the difference against Leverkusen.
Bobic firmly believes that his favorite club has a chance. “Of course they (editor’s note: VfB Stuttgart) have a chance. They actually have nothing to lose. They have already won this season, no matter what they do. And at some point Leverkusen will lose a game too. Maybe it is today.”
And the former striker is determined: “The team that wins today is very likely to also win the cup. For me today is like a final, a key game on the way to the title. With all due respect to Gladbach and Saarbrücken.”
A chance for Stuttgart to reach a DFB Cup final for the first time since 2013 – and an additional chance for Deniz Undav to send another application letter to the national team.