How did Germany’s unlikely World Cup star Deniz Undav slip the net at Brighton? | OneFootball

Deniz Undav is chasing the Golden Boot at this World Cup, yet he never truly broke through at Brighton. According to NY Times, only Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland have scored more after two games.

He has three goals and two assists in 56 minutes, all from the bench against Curacao and Ivory Coast. Germany are already through before Thursday’s group finale with Ecuador.

He struck twice to beat Ivory Coast on 20 June. Earlier setbacks included release by Werder Bremen at 14 and factory shifts at 17 while at TSV Havelse.

A 2020 move to Union Saint-Gilloise transformed him, yielding 42 league goals in 59 outings. Brighton signed him for about £6million in January 2022 and loaned him back for the run-in.

“I thought it would be hard, but it’s even harder than I thought... It’s not the farmers’ league, it’s the best league in the world,” he said of the Premier League in 2022, in The Athletic.

He arrived under Graham Potter behind senior forwards, then waited five months under Roberto De Zerbi for a first league start. A finish of five in eight hinted lift off, yet Brighton bought Joao Pedro for £30million and loaned him to Stuttgart.

The goals kept coming. Called up by Germany in March 2024, he has 57 goals in 117 Stuttgart games after a permanent move. Brighton sold for £28m, and Julian Nagelsmann has hinted he could remain an impact substitute.

Source: NY Times