Deniz Undav continues his remarkable 2026 World Cup. With his brace against Ivory Coast, the Kurdish-Yazidi striker took his tournament tally to three goals, climbing into the upper tier of the adidas Golden Boot race.
Three Goals in Two Games
Undav’s World Cup record is impressive. In the opener he scored once and added two assists in just half an hour as Germany thrashed Curaçao 7-1. Then came his two goals against Ivory Coast in the 68th and 90+4th minutes.
This places Undav among the tournament’s most prolific names. While Lionel Messi and Jonathan David led the early race on three goals each, Undav has now joined that elite group on the same tally — and he did it mostly off the bench, giving him one of the best goals-per-minute ratios in the competition.
From the Bench to Stardom
This is no accident. His steady form for VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga earned him his place in Nagelsmann’s squad. Before the World Cup, Undav also scored the 88th-minute winner in a friendly against Ghana.
"First of All, I Have Kurdish Roots"
Undav’s identity draws as much attention as his goals. Before EURO 2024 he said: "First of all, I have Kurdish roots." His family is Kurdish-Yazidi, originally from the Viranşehir area. Born and raised in Germany, Undav has never hidden his identity.
That makes him one of the most visible figures in the broad Kurdish footballers ecosystem Amedspor News follows — a Kurdish striker scoring at the World Cup at the highest level.
Sources: FIFA adidas Golden Boot standings, NBC Sports goalscorer list, ESPN. Golden Boot standings change throughout the tournament. Images belong to the Amedspor News archive.
Related: Who is Deniz Undav?