On the day the World Cup final takes place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Deniz Undav has a birthday. On July 19, the striker turns 30 years old. But he won't be getting the title as a present. Germany, as is well known, was already eliminated in the round of 16, and with the team went the man whom the entire country suddenly took to its heart during this tournament. Because it probably wasn't his fault.

Even before the World Cup, there was much discussion about the Undav situation. National team coach Julian Nagelsmann (38), no longer in office, made no secret of the fact that he didn't think much of the VfB Stuttgart star. That's why he initially didn't use Undav in the starting lineup, but brought him on as a substitute. With success: In just 56 minutes of play across two games, the World Cup debutant scored three goals and assisted two more. Never before since data collection began in 1966 had a World Cup player needed so few minutes for his first five goal contributions. His brace against Ivory Coast made him Man of the Match.

I'll keep doing my thing

He was celebrated even before, but this record at the latest made Undav a fan favorite. Experts outdid each other with superlatives about him, search queries for his name went through the roof. During the tournament alone, Deniz Undav gained more than 500,000 new followers on Instagram, breaking the million mark. Phone's exploding, he summarized in a conversation with Sportschau. But he won't let that change him, but rather I'll keep doing my thing.

He did his thing, and yet even Undav was powerless during Germany's bitter World Cup exit. Even his hard-fought spot in the starting lineup didn't help. We disappointed Germany. That stings. There's nothing more to say right now, he posted after the loss to Paraguay on Instagram. Thanks for this opportunity.

Cut from Werder: too small and too heavy

Deniz Undav has been denied opportunities plenty of times in his career. For a long time, it seemed unlikely that the stocky soccer player would become one of the greats. As a youth, Undav was developed at Werder Bremen, but at just under 16 years old, it was over. Speaking to the portal DeichStube eleven years later, he recalled the reasoning: He was too small and too heavy for professional soccer.

That was very, very tough. As a little boy, everyone had the dream of becoming a soccer player. And it felt like my dream had burst when things didn't continue at Werder, the athlete said. That's why he seriously doubted his chances on the field.

At 19, Undav was playing for TSV Havelse in the regional league - and wanted to quit soccer of his own accord. I was still a great player, but I just didn't want to anymore. I told myself: Oh well, this won't lead anywhere, it doesn't make sense, he recalled in an interview with ran. During this time, he completed an apprenticeship as a machine operator at a factory on the side and got up at 4 a.m. every day to make ends meet.

Still in the third division six years ago

Only the move to Eintracht Braunschweig at age 21 gave the soccer player a new perspective. After that came SV Meppen - just six years ago in 2020, Undav was still playing in the 3rd division. At that point, others have long since gone through all the youth teams and are on their way to becoming elite athletes. Breaking through in professional soccer at 23 is rather unlikely. But a goal from 50 meters put him on the scouts' radar, and with Belgian soccer club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, he finally achieved his international breakthrough as top scorer.

He came to VfB Stuttgart in 2023 via the club Brighton & Hove Albion in England, which signed him permanently in 2024 for 27 million euros. With the Swabians last season, he was involved in 39 goals in 46 competitive matches, scoring 19 times in the Bundesliga himself. But besides all his sporting successes, he has also long since become a fan favorite, identification figure and everybody's darling. Despite international interest, he extended his contract in Stuttgart ahead of the World Cup through 2029.

A Deniz Undav simply won't be bent out of shape. Together with his wife Tanja and his daughter, the Frisian native lives in a house in the Stuttgart suburbs. Public appearances are rare; he keeps private insights to himself. He also resisted social media for a long time. It's important to him to stay grounded, Undav emphasized on ran: I prefer to do it like at the local pitch or in the amateur league. I think that's why some people like me, and I'm just trying to stay that way. It's an outstanding feeling that he made it as a professional despite all the detours: The saying: 'If you fall down five times, you have to get up six times' is really true.