Deniz Undav

Deniz Undav

Undav with VfB Stuttgart in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Deniz Undav [1]
Date of birth	(1996-07-19) 19 July 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth	Varel, Germany
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) [2]
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	VfB Stuttgart
Number	26
Youth career
2002–2006	TSV Achim
2007–2012	Werder Bremen
2012–2014	SC Weyhe
2014–2015	TSV Havelse
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2017	TSV Havelse	67	(32)
2017–2018	Eintracht Braunschweig II	18	(9)
2018–2020	SV Meppen	69	(23)
2020–2022	Union SG	51	(35)
2022–2024	Brighton & Hove Albion	22	(5)
2022	→ Union SG (loan)	14	(8)
2023–2024	→ VfB Stuttgart (loan)	30	(18)
2024–	VfB Stuttgart	8	(5)
International career‡
2024–	Germany	5	(3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:13, 26 October 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:43, 11 October 2024 (UTC)

Deniz Undav (born 19 July 1996) is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward for Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart and the Germany national team.

Club career

Early career (2002–2020)

Undav, who grew up in Achim, played for TSV Achim before joining the youth department of Werder Bremen, in which he was released after five years due to his lack of height. Later on, he joined SC Weyhe, then TSV Havelse where he made his senior debut during the 2014–15 Regionalliga. He later played for Eintracht Braunschweig II, followed by SV Meppen. ^[3]

Union Saint-Gilloise (2020–2022)

In April 2020, it was announced Undav would leave 3. Liga club SV Meppen at the end of the 2019–20 season. With his Meppen contract running out, he would join Belgian First Division B side Union Saint-Gilloise on a three-year deal. ^{[4] [5]}

On 13 March 2021, Undav won the championship with Union Saint-Gilloise in the Belgian First Division B ending his season on 17 goals in 26 games.

On the 15th matchday in the 2021–22 Belgian First Division A season Undav scored, for the first time in his career, a quadruple away at K.V. Oostende in the 7–1 victory. ^[6] He finished the season as top scorer of the league with 18 goals, and was awarded the Footballer of the Year in Belgium. ^[7]

Brighton & Hove Albion (2022–2023)

On 31 January 2022, Undav joined Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion for €7 million, ^[8] signing a four-and-a-half-year deal. He immediately returned to Union Saint-Gilloise until the end of the 2021–22 season on loan. ^[9]

Undav made his Albion debut on the opening game of the 2022–23 season, coming on as a 90+5th minute substitute for Danny Welbeck, helping Brighton win its first ever victory at Old Trafford after beating Manchester United 2–1. ^[10] He scored his first goal for the club in his second appearance, opening the scoreline in the 3–0 away victory over League One side Forest Green Rovers in the second round of the EFL Cup on 24 August. ^[11] He didn't score again until over four-and-a-half months later on 7 January 2023, scoring Brighton's last after coming on as a substitute, in the 5–1 away thrashing over Championship side Middlesbrough in the FA Cup third round. ^[12] Undav made his first Premier League start on 4 February, creating chances and making several attempts on goal without success before being substituted off in the eventual 1–0 home win over Bournemouth. ^[13] He opened the scoreline on 19 March, scoring a rebound from a Moisés Caicedo shot, later assisting a Evan Ferguson goal in the 5–0 FA Cup quarter-final win over League Two side Grimsby Town. ^[14] Undav scored his first Premier League goal on 29 April, opening the scoreline and later adding a second in the 6–0 thrashing of Wolves, their biggest Premier League victory. ^[15] He added to his Premier League tally on 14 May, chipping in Albions' second in the eventual 3–0 away win over Arsenal. ^[16] Four days later, Undav scored at both ends in Brighton's 4–1 away defeat at Newcastle, heading in an own goal from a corner to open the scoreline before hitting one back from two down. ^[17]

VfB Stuttgart (2023–present)

2023–2024: Initial loan spell

On 2 August 2023, Undav returned to his native Germany, signing for Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart on a season-long loan for the 2023–24 season. ^[18] He made his Stuttgart debut on 16 September 2023, in a Bundesliga match against 1. FSV Mainz 05. On 27 January 2024, he scored his first Bundesliga hat-trick in a 5–2 win over RB Leipzig. ^[19] In his debut Bundesliga season, he scored 18 goals and provided 9 assists, as his club finished second in the league and secured Champions League qualification for the first time since 2009–10. ^[20]

2024–present: Permanent signing

On 9 August 2024, following a season-long loan spell, Undav signed for VfB Stuttgart on a permanent basis, signing a three-year contract. ^[21]

International career

Undav is eligible to represent for either Germany or Turkey. He refused to play for Turkey national team. ^{[22] [23] [24]}

In March 2024, Undav was called up to the German national team ahead of the friendly matches against France and the Netherlands. ^[25] He made his debut for Die Mannschaft in a 2–0 victory against France after coming on for Kai Havertz in the 80th minute. ^[26] In June, Undav was named in Germany's squad for UEFA Euro 2024. ^[27] Undav scored his first international goal in a 2–2 draw against the Netherlands on 10 September 2024. ^[28]

Personal life

Undav was born in Germany to a Kurdish-Yazidis family of five children from the village of Işıklı, located within the municipality of Viranşehir and situated in Şanlıurfa Province of Turkey. His grandfather migrated to Germany due to pressure following the 1980 coup in Turkey. ^{[29] [30] [31]}

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 29 October 2024 ^{[32] [33]}

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [lower-alpha 1]		League cup [lower-alpha 2]		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Havelse	2014–15	Regionalliga Nord	3	0	0	0	—		—		—		3	0
	2015–16	Regionalliga Nord	32	16	2	0	—		—		—		34	16
	2016–17	Regionalliga Nord	32	16	3	5	—		—		—		35	21
	Total		67	32	5	5	—		—		—		72	37
Eintracht Braunschweig II	2017–18	Regionalliga Nord	18	9	0	0	—		—		—		18	9
Meppen	2018–19	3. Liga	35	6	3	1	—		—		—		38	7
	2019–20	3. Liga	34	17	1	0	—		—		—		35	17
	Total		69	23	4	1	—		—		—		73	24
Union SG	2020–21	Belgian First Division B	26	17	3	1	—		—		—		29	18
	2021–22 [lower-alpha 3]	Belgian Pro League	39	26	2	1	—		—		—		41	27
	Total		65	43	5	2	—		—		—		70	45
Brighton & Hove Albion	2022–23	Premier League	22	5	5	2	3	1	—		—		30	8
VfB Stuttgart (loan)	2023–24	Bundesliga	30	18	3	1	—		—		—		33	19
VfB Stuttgart	2024–25	Bundesliga	8	5	2	0	—		3 [lower-alpha 4]	1	1 [lower-alpha 5]	1	14	7
	Total		38	23	5	1	—		3	1	1	1	47	26
Career total			279	135	24	11	3	1	3	1	1	1	310	149

1. Includes Lower Saxony Cup, DFB-Pokal, Belgian Cup, FA Cup
2. Includes EFL Cup
3. Part of season spent on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion
4. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
5. Appearance in DFL-Supercup

International

As of match played 11 October 2024 ^[34]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Germany	2024	5	3
Total		5	3

As of match played 11 October 2024. Germany score listed first, score column indicates score after each Undav goal. ^[34]

List of international goals scored by Deniz Undav

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	10 September 2024	Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands	4	Netherlands	1–1	2–2	2024–25 UEFA Nations League A
2	11 October 2024	Bilino Polje Stadium, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina	5	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1–0	2–1	2024–25 UEFA Nations League A
3					2–0

Honours

Undav with Union SG in 2020

Union SG

• Belgian First Division B: 2020–21

Individual

• Belgian Pro League top scorer: 2021–22
• Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year: 2021–22 ^[7]
• Bundesliga Player of the Month: November 2023, January 2024 ^[35]
• VDV Bundesliga Newcomer of the Season: 2023–24 ^[36]

References

1. "2022/23 Premier League squad lists". Premier League. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
2. "Denis Undav: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
3. "Stuttgarts neuer Hoffnungsträger" (in German). Sport1. 4 August 2023.
4. "SV Meppen verliert Topstürmer Undav". NDR.de (in German). 7 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
5. "Meppen enttäuscht: Top-Torjäger Undav geht nach Belgien". kicker (in German). 7 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
6. "Deniz Undav a réalisé l'un de ses plus gros matches avec l'Union". dhnet.be (in French). 22 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
7. "Deniz Undav is Profvoetballer & Tessa Wullaert Profvoetbalster van het Jaar". SPORZA. 23 May 2022.
8. "Deniz Undav devient le transfert le plus cher de l'histoire de l'Union". February 2022.
9. "Albion complete deal for Deniz Undav". www.brightonandhovealbion.com. 31 January 2022.
10. "Brighton beat Manchester United at Old Trafford for First-Time in Premier League Opening Weekend". 7 August 2022.
11. "Denis Undav opens his goal account as Brighton's youngsters cash in". The Guardian. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
12. "Five-star Albion cruise into the fourth round". Brighton & Hove Albion. 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
13. "More Mitoma magic as Albion leave it late". Brighton & Hove Albion. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
14. "Wembley next as Albion cruise into FA Cup semi-finals". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. 19 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
15. "Back on track with six of the best". Brighton & Hove Albion. 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
16. "It's three and easy as magnificent Albion move up to sixth". Brighton & Hove Albion. 14 May 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
17. "Late goals make it tough on the Tyne for Albion". Brighton & Hove Albion. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
18. "VfB sign Deniz Undav". VfB Stuttgart. 2 August 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
19. "VfB Stuttgart watscht RB Leipzig ab: Deniz Undav erzielt Dreierpack - erster Pflichtspielsieg im neuen Jahr" (in German). Eurosport. 27 January 2024.
20. Bissett, Luke (21 May 2024). "Deniz Undav's dream debut season in the Bundesliga". FotMob.
21. "VfB verpflichtet Deniz Undav" [VfB signs Deniz Undav] (in German). VfB Stuttgart. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
22. "Deniz Undav 'Kürdüm' diyerek Türk Milli Takımını reddetti". www.rudaw.net (in Turkish). 6 December 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
23. Saya, Bapak (9 December 2023). "Kurdish-German striker declines Turkish national team offer". Medya News. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
24. "Deniz Undav eyes Germany debut and shot at Euro 2024 squad". AP News. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
25. "Start ins EM-Jahr mit sechs Neulingen und sechs Rückkehrern" (in German). German Football Association. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
26. "France v Germany game report". ESPN. 23 March 2024.
27. "UEFA Euro 2024: All squads and players full list". Olympics.com. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
28. "Undav "over the moon" after scoring his first goal for Germany". Bundesliga News in English. 10 September 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
29. "OFFICIEEL: Union denkt toch al vooruit en trekt topschutter uit Duitsland aan". www.voetbalprimeur.be.
30. "Diyarbakır Karacadağ'dan Alman Milli Takımına uzandı". CEGA Medya - Diyarbakır Son Dakika Haberleri (in Turkish). Retrieved 24 March 2024.
31. "DENİZ UNDAV'IN KUZENİ KONUŞTU: O Kürtlerin Maradonası". Ekspres Haber - Sondakika Diyarbakır ve Bölge haberleri (in Turkish). Retrieved 24 March 2024.
32. Deniz Undav at Soccerway
33. Deniz Undav at Flashscore
34. "Deniz Undav international matches". EU-Football.info. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
35. "Bundesliga Player of the Month". EA Sports. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
36. "Florian Wirtz ist VDV-Spieler der Saison" (in German). VDV. 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.

External links

• Deniz Undav at Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
• Deniz Undav at Bundesliga
• Deniz Undav at kicker (in German)