World Cup 2026: Deniz Undav’s journey from factory floor to World Cup star

With his double against the Ivory Coast, Undav became the first German to score in his first two World Cup matches since Miroslav Klose in 2002.

This is an elite company; But at one stage even qualifying for the World Cup was a distant dream for Undav, who was rejected by Werder Bremen as a 14-year-old.

At 17, he was earning £120 a week as a semi-professional in Germany’s fourth tier, while balancing his football career with eight-hour shifts in a factory.

“It broke my heart when Werder told me at 14 that I had no future with them because I was too young,” Undav said in an interview with Belgian channel 7sur7.

“But I didn’t lose hope. I left my parents’ home at the age of 17 to sign for Havelse, in Germany’s fourth tier. Here I combined playing and training with a laser machine, working full-time in a factory for eight hours a day.

“I got up around 4am, went to the factory, then went to training and came home around 8pm… and did it all again the next day.

“I had to do this job to survive because I couldn’t survive on money alone from football.”

Undav moved to Belgian second division side Union Saint-Gilloise in 2020, helping them win promotion the following year, before scoring 25 goals in the top-flight league which earned him a move to Brighton.

However, after scoring only five goals in 22 Premier League matches in the 2022-23 season, he was loaned to Stuttgart, who signed him on a permanent contract in 2024.

Undav earned his place in the World Cup by scoring 19 goals in the Bundesliga in the 2025-26 season, ranking second behind Harry Kane on the top scorers list.