Undav has worked hard for his chance

Albion fans are now waiting for their chance to see new striker Deniz Undav just as the German had to bide his time for a big break. 

The 25-year-old was signed on Monday from Belgian league leaders Royale Union Saint-Gilloise where he is the country’s top scorer, and will link up with Albion this summer.  

Undav has his sights set on a league championship medal with Union, along with fellow Albion loanees Kacper Kozlowski and Kaoru Mitoma  

It is all a long way from being rejected by Werder Bremen at 14, and at 17 earning £120 a week as a semi-pro in the German fourth tier while working eight-hour days in a factory. 

In a recent interview with Belgian outlet 7sur7, Undav said, “I am an ordinary guy, not at all one of the bling generation. I don’t have expensive tastes. I don’t wear expensive designer clothes and I don’t drive a massive car. I know all about what it means to work hard to earn a living.  

“In the academy at Werder Bremen some coaches called me Gerd Muller. I didn’t know who he was at first, but they said I had a similar style…with a big backside! So I started watching some old videos, and they had a point. Playing with my back to goal and holding the ball up is my big strength and if you are strong you can hold off one or two defenders – you don’t have to be a giant to play that target-man role. 

“When they told me at 14 that I didn’t have a future with them because I was too small, it broke my heart. But I did not abandon hope. I left the family home at 17 to sign for Havelse in the semi-pro regional league, the fourth division in Germany.  

“There I combined playing and training with working full-time, eight-hour days operating a laser machine in a factory.  I got up around 4am, went to the factory, then I went to training and got back home around 8pm before doing it all again the next day.  

“I had to do that job for the money to live because I was only earning around £120 a week and I couldn’t survive on the money from the football alone.” 

Undav signed for Union in 2020 and the team with 11 league titles – the last one coming in the 1930s – were promoted in 2021 before taking the top flight by storm. 

He added, “I always knew I had ability and qualities, but I needed to work to improve especially on my weak points. When I arrived at Union, things were not easy.  We were in Covid and my then girlfriend and now wife Tanja had to stay in Germany. I was in a hotel, because I hadn’t managed to get an apartment.  

“That made me very stressed and unhappy, and I ate very badly, too much fast-food.  So that summer I worked very hard in pre-season to lose weight and be a lot fitter. And today I am content and very happily married. That makes a big difference.

“Growing up I looked up to Thierry Henry, the Brazilian Ronaldo – not Cristiano. I used to study them for hours on the TV and then when I’d go outside with friends after doing my homework I pretended to be one of the two of them. 

“I also used to love watching Andres Iniesta at Barcelona, just for how absurdly easy he made it look to control a game.” 

Undav’s striker partner at Union, the 22-year-old Dante Vanzeir, has already had a call-up for Belgium and one day Undav hopes Germany could come calling. 

He said, “Getting a chance for Germany doesn’t worry me too much at the moment. If I do get the phone call I’ll be overjoyed because it’s the dream of every footballer to play for their country. If it doesn’t happen, I won’t cry. Germany have Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Thomas Müller…although we don’t have any true goal scorers.”