News (engl.)

The FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico officially got underway this week. Germany are set to open their group stage campaign against Curaçao on Sunday (19:00 CEST). At today’s press conference, Deniz Undav spoke about the mood within the team, his role in attack and their upcoming opponents. 

Deniz Undav on...

…the mood ahead of the first match: We’ll be getting underway the day after tomorrow and so the excitement is there and everyone is extremely excited for the first match. The focus is there and everyone is working hard in training. We’re talking a lot amongst ourselves off the pitch as well and everyone is glad that it’s now getting started, and fortunately, everyone is also 100 percent fit. 

…the heat in the USA: I don’t go outside much, I’m often indoors (laughs). If I do go out, then I always take a hoodie with me so that I don’t get sunstroke. 

…a successful start to the tournament: It will be extremely important to start the tournament off well. We obviously want to win. I think if you manage to win the first game, then that sends a strong message to the team and that’s very important for all of us – for the fans back in Germany, but also for the fans here. 

…praise from Thomas Müller and Jürgen Klopp: It made me happy to hear, as it proves that I’m doing the right things. We have a lot of options and in the end, it doesn’t matter who starts, as we can rely on anyone who plays. 

…the ‘old’ Deniz: I still have a lot of the ‘old’ Deniz Undav in me. I’ve gotten a bit older, have a few grey hairs now. I’m still something of a character, like I was 15 years ago. I like to laugh. When I step on the pitch, then I love to win and to give it my all. I still remember where to find the goal (laughs). When I think about where I was 14 years ago, or even four years ago, then I never would have dreamed of one day being here. To be honest, I also don’t really have the time to enjoy it. Every day has been so busy and our first game is now just two days away. I’m happy to be here and if I do get to play, then I will give it my all and try to impress. 

…set pieces: It’s something that we work on a lot in training. In David [Raum] and Jo [Kimmich], we have two players capable of scoring from set pieces, so all you have to do is make your run and fill the zones, which always creates danger. It’s not just me that does that, as we always work on that with 11 players. It’s always the same routines, where you have to run to the right zone and then you know that 90 percent of the time, the ball will get there, because they both have wicked shots. 

...the 2014 World Cup: I was at home with my parents and we watched every match. After a win, we would head out in our car and honk and drive through the streets, which were full. I hope that we’ll be able to make something similar possible for the fans back home. 

…the newly-introduced cooling and advertisement breaks: I think that it could be a good thing if you’re able to make adjustments in the 22nd minute, if the coach isn’t able to make any changes while the game is ongoing. You now have two additional opportunities to make tactical changes. It’s something that will help the teams. We have our game plan and that’s something that we need to implement on the pitch, however. 

…extending his contract at VfB Stuttgart: It was important to me from a mental perspective as well. If that hadn’t worked out, then it might have happened during the World Cup. I really wanted to stay at VfB and that quickly came together. Now, I’m able to focus fully on the World Cup. 

...Manuel Neuer: Manu works hard and he talks a lot, off the pitch as well. He’s someone that commands a lot of respect. When he’s in goal, then you notice the difference, even in training – as a striker, you have to make sure that your strikes are more precise. He’s one of the best goalkeepers of all time, but he’s also a very quiet person. When you speak with him, you can sense the experience and understanding of the game that he has. When you’ve got a two-metre-tall goalkeeper rushing towards you, it’s definitely hard to keep calm. 

...Julian Nagelsmann: Julian has an idea of how he wants us to play and that’s what he’s conveying to us. He’s open to hearing other ideas and then we just try to find some common ground. He’s got a clear vision of how football should be played and that’s what we’re trying to implement on the pitch. 

..the aim for the World Cup: Winning the tournament is the goal – if I were to sit here and say that we just want to reach the round of 16, then I shouldn’t be here. Everyone on the team has one goal, and that’s winning the World Cup. 

…finishing the season as the second-best goalscorer in the Bundesliga: Harry doesn’t count, that’s not fair (laughs). I’m just in good form at the moment – we had a lot of games, and I was able to prove myself. When I’m given an opportunity to play, then I’ll put in a strong performance in order to also have a chance of proving myself with the national team. 

…his role as an entertainer: I’m someone that talks a lot and so is Schlotti [Nico Schlotterbeck]. We’re just trying to spread some cheer. Part of it is also having fun together, because we’ll be here for five more weeks. I’m not thinking too much about it and am just doing what I do naturally, which is probably why it’s well received. 

…videos of the Curaçao team dancing: Virtually all of them can dance, and barely any of us can, so they have us beat there (laughs). You can see how much fun they’re having. We’re now set to spend the next few weeks here together, and having fun is part of being here. They dance after getting off a plane, on the pitch and I think that’s great, because you can’t be 100 percent serious all the time. We just make jokes instead. 

…his role on the pitch: Regardless of whether I start or come off the bench, my job is to give it 100 percent, score goals and implement the head coach’s tactical plan. I can play at both positions. Regardless of when or where I play, my job is to score goals – it doesn’t matter if that’s as a number 9 or as a 10. 

...Oliver Neuville’s goal at the 2006 World Cup: Those are the sort of moments that I’m here for: to score goals. But, that’s not something that only I can do – Nick [Woltemade] and Kai [Havertz], as well as the other attacking players all have to be ready for such moments. But we want to already have opened up a lead beforehand, in order to avoid finding ourselves in that sort of situation at all. 

...Thomas Müller’s new role as a pundit: As long as what he’s saying is correct, then I won’t call him (laughs). I think it’s good because he has a lot of knowledge about football and if he’s critical of anything, then you know there’s a reason for it. He’s an expert, and I wouldn’t mind it if someone like Thomas criticises or praises me. If he’s got criticism, then you know that it just means that you can do better. No matter what he says, Thomas has got the experience to back it up.