“Unity Justice and freedom”
Stuttgart’s super striker Undav wants to play for DFB
December 7, 2023, 11:24 a.m
In the Bundesliga, Deniz Undav is shining at VfB Stuttgart, and his debut in the national team is now getting closer. He can choose the country – and chooses Germany. National coach Julian Nagelsmann has already spoken to the 27-year-old on the phone.
Stuttgart striker Deniz Undav sees his future in the German national soccer team after a conversation with national coach Julian Nagelsmann. “Unity, justice and freedom – that’s what I told him,” the 27-year-old reported with a smile on Sky after VfB’s round of 16 win in the DFB Cup against Borussia Dortmund.
“I have both options,” said Undav, whose roots lie in Turkey, “but I told him that I would definitely like to take the chance to play for Germany – if I get it.” And it actually looks like this: Nagelsmann, who was in the Stuttgart stadium on Wednesday, promised Undav an invitation to the start of the European Championship year in March. Then there are two final tests before the European Championship in our own country against the Netherlands and France.
“There were conversations, I had a phone call with him, I was surprised and extremely happy, I couldn’t believe it,” said Undav. He “made the decision for the DFB for myself” after discussions “with my wife, my family and my advisor.” Then he “signaled to Nagelsmann what my goal is” – the home European Championships in 2024.
The striker, who is on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, has attracted attention in recent weeks with good performances for the Swabians in the Bundesliga, scoring nine goals in twelve games across all competitions and preparing two more. With these values, he is currently the most accurate German center forward in Europe’s ten strongest leagues.
In 2012 he was rejected by Werder Bremen as a youth player and initially played in the regional league before moving to SV Meppen in the third division in 2018. He really got started in the second Belgian league, at Royal Union Saint-Gilloise. He achieved promotion with the club and celebrated the championship before moving on to England. Then came the call to Stuttgart – where he didn’t let a torn lateral ligament at the start of the season stop him for long. Now the next personal advancement is imminent.