From the 3rd league to the top of the table and the best goal scorer in Belgium: In the interview, Deniz Undav talks about his rapid rise – and where his path is still to lead him.
He has scored in the regional league (41 goals in 85 matches), in the 3rd division (23 goals in 69 matches), in the second highest Belgian league (17 goals in 26 matches). In the last half-year, Deniz Undav has now shot his club, the promoted Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, to the top of the Jupiler Pro League with 16 goals in 20 appearances – and became the best goal scorer in the neighbouring country.
People you have around you “
“It’s proof that extremely hard work pays off and it’s hugely important to always have your head clear.” “I am said to be an instinctive footballer. And that’s true: I don’t worry about what if …”.
However, the right environment is also of enormous importance for success: “A lot depends on the people you have around you,” says Undav. People “who tell me what I’m doing well and, above all, what I’m not doing well”. On the one hand, this helps him to keep his feet on the ground, on the other hand, it also helps him to constantly work on himself: “It’s more important for me to have people around me who push me in this way than that they praise me to the skies.
Andav doesn’t see himself at the end of his road by any means: “I’d like to play in one of the European top 5 leagues, anything else would be a lie.” And then there is the question of the national team. Because the attacker, who was born in Achim, Lower Saxony, just outside Bremen, has both a German and a Turkish passport. “I would love to be an international,” says the 25-year-old about his plans for the next five years.
“I am absolutely aware that these are lofty goals. But why not strive for them? When I played at Havelse back then, not too many would have thought it possible that some five years later I would be the most successful striker at Belgian league leaders Royale Union Saint-Gilloise,” he says. “I am someone who wants to prove himself. “
