“He always scores anyway”
Matthäus calls for Undav for the DFB starting eleven
June 21, 2026 – 12:35 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Lothar Matthäus compares Deniz Undav with Gerd Müller – and calls on Nagelsmann to start the striker at the World Cup.
Record national player Lothar Matthäus wishes Deniz Undav in the German World Cup starting eleven. Nagelsmann “can no longer avoid bringing him from the start – also when it comes to performance,” said Matthäus on RTL/ntv.
“If you perform like Undav week after week, then I assume that he will play from the start in the next game,” he added: “Of course you can say that we have a good joker on the bench and he comes on in the 60th minute, but that doesn’t matter. He always scores anyway.”
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In addition to the athletic performance, Matthäus also highlighted Undav’s mentality. One strength is not to worry too much. “He doesn’t think much about what’s in the papers, whether he’ll start or come in later. He just enjoys football and doesn’t think about it for long.”
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Undav also had good running routes in the penalty area – he knew how to position himself. “The way he puts his body against it for the second goal – with a world-class take-away. The rotation of his body, how he places his body between the ball and the defender and then finishes cold – that’s a special class that he has because he’s built for it,” said Matthäus.
“A little smaller and with shorter turns than someone who is 20 centimeters taller. He has a wide body that is a bit reminiscent of Gerd Müller – including the thighs. From this side we have a new ‘bomber of the nation’.”