With 18 goals this season, Deniz Undav is one of the league’s shooting stars. In March, the 27-year-old VfB Stuttgart player was called up to the national team for the first time by national coach Julian Nagelsann, making his debut in the 2-0 win against France. At the European Championships (14 June to 14 July) he will be part of the German offensive department
Ask: Mr Undav, you are about to take part in your first major tournament with Germany. What memories do you have of the 2006 World Cup at home?
Deniz Undav: I was ten years old and always on the football pitch. After the games, I always went into town with my father and brother to our home in Achim. It was a real party there, everyone had German flags and sang. I can still remember it well. Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Poldi – these were the types of players that people admired.
Ask: Were you wearing a jersey back then?
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Undav: No, I never had a DFB jersey. I have only bought two jerseys in my life: a Brazil shirt from Ronaldo and a Schalke jersey from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. Otherwise, I may have had a fake jersey that my father brought me from Turkey…
Ask: Deniz Undaz as Poldi 2.0 – would you agree?
Undav: We are similar. But Poldi is Poldi and I am Deniz. I do my own thing. We are both pigeonholed in a certain way – perhaps because of our sayings. But when you get to know us, you will hopefully notice that there is more to it than that.
Ask: Alongside Thomas Müller, you are considered the joker in the team. What is your relationship like with the Bayern star?
Undav: We get on really well. We are similar: we love to have fun playing football, we like to make jokes and crack jokes. I think there is nothing better for a team than when the chemistry is right and you can also squeeze in a joke now and then.
“He can still do a little something, the uncle”
Thomas Müller is looking forward to the European Championship with great anticipation. “There is no alternative but to be over the moon,” said the Bayern star. When asked about his role in the team, he said: “It is not my job to entertain people.”
Ask: You even brought a bottle of his newly created drinkable meal with you to the press conference this week. How did that come about?
Undav: Thomas actually distributed his drinks in the team hotel. He gave me a few varieties to try. My favorite is banana.
Ask: Müller recently appeared in photos from supplier Adidas in a stylish retro look. How do you like that?
Undav: He looks like a real gangster. It suits him well, especially the jacket is cool. To be honest, Thomas doesn’t really have a good sense of clothing, nothing ever goes together. (laughs)
Thousands of fans welcome DFB team in Herzogenaurach – despite pouring rain
The German national team has moved into its European Championship quarters in Herzogenaurach. Meanwhile, a survey has shown that two thirds of Germans are in favor of the representation of migrant Germans in the national team.
Ask: Aha! Who has the best style in the team?
Undav: I would say: Benny Henrichs and Leroy Sané.
Ask: In his first team address at the training camp, national coach Julian Nagelsmann said: “We want to become European champions.” How much do you believe in that?
Undav: When I was there for the first time in March, I had the feeling that we could really achieve something great. It would be nonsense to set any goal other than the title. There is nothing better than winning at home.
Ask: And if so, are you a party animal?
Undav: I can definitely party quite well. I can drink quickly and luckily I can handle quite a bit. (laughs) I don’t do that all season, but when there’s a reason, I’m right at the front. Like now at the celebration for the runner-up title with Stuttgart.
Undav celebrates with fans on the fence second place in the league and entry into the Champions League
Source: picture alliance/Press photo Rudel/Herbert Rudel
Ask: Your VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß was also being discussed as the new Bayern coach. Were you worried that he would leave?
Undav: Being the person I am, I went straight to him and asked him: “Coach, what’s the deal?” He assured me that he definitely wanted to stay and build something up in the next one or two years. After that, anything is still possible for him.
Ask: Would you trust him to play for Bayern?
Undav: I trust him to play for any big club. He is a world-class coach, he has a clear idea of how to play and is an even better person as a coach. He has his heart in the right place. If you need something, you can always come to him.
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Ask: Do you dream of playing for FC Bayern one day?
Undav: I think there are few players who would turn down an offer from FC Bayern. Everyone wants to move to the really big clubs at some point: Manchester City, Real, Barcelona. That is the last big step that I want to achieve at some point and I give everything to achieve it every day.
Ask: Were there moments when you had already given up on your dream of a professional career?
Undav: Again and again! Even three years ago I didn’t really believe in it. But everything worked out great. Despite my many goals, most clubs were always rather skeptical and reserved about me because I didn’t fit the classic striker profile. And when I see what I’ve made of it, I’m proud that I made it to the national team.
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Ask: Now you are on the pitch with the best footballers in Germany. Who do you admire the most?
Undav: In terms of names, Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller and Toni Kroos are the greatest for me. Jamal Musiala is simply outstanding on the ball, sometimes I stand next to him and think: Why can’t I do that? And Jo Kimmich impresses me with his mentality. How he wants to win every training game, no matter how small, and always gives 100 percent. I’ve learned a thing or two from that.
Ask: Which coach has supported you the most in your career?
Undav: There wasn’t one person who took me to the top completely. It was a lot of small steps. It always did me good when someone accepted that I was a special guy. Of course you need a healthy lifestyle. But I always drink a Red Bull before a game, for example, otherwise I can’t play. And I have two Hanuta bars with it. There was once a fitness coach at a club who said I should change completely. He even wanted to make me laugh. He said I shouldn’t laugh so much, but stay serious. But a player has to feel good to be good.
The interview was conducted for the Sports Competence Center (WELT, SPORT BILD, BILD) and first published in BILD AM SONNTAG.
