by Oliver Trust
BERLIN, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Sometimes Deniz Undav feels like waking up in the middle of a bold dream.
The 27-year-old striker seems like a typical late bloomer who stepped into the limelight late in his career.
"For long I didn't feel much confidence around me. Frankly, there wasn't anyone who believed in me," Undav said after his journey through amateur sides up to the third division.
With his 13 goals and five assists in 17 games for VfB Stuttgart, the restless traveling for Undav seems to have come to an end.
Furthermore, doors to an unexpected career chapter have opened for him.
Undav has turned into a realistic option for Germany national coach Julian Nagelsmann on his way to UEFA Euro 2024. "It feels like a dream," Undav remarked.
As it seems, he is living a dream that sometimes feels irrational. Just to be prepared, he is keeping his mobile charged and switched on in case of a call that would make him happier than anything else.
"I see what happens. If Mr Nagelsmann is calling, he is calling, if not, I try to continue," he said with a fair amount of pride. "It's a dream to be part [of a tournament] for every footballer, so it is to me," he added.
After becoming the 2021-22 Belgian league's top scorer with 26 goals for Union Saint-Gilloise, he entered a new world, but still seemed far away from what he did today.
The story of Undav is one of a footballer climbing up from the sixth tier to the top.
Having signed for Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, he drew the attention of Stuttgart as the club had looked for a new striker.
Undav continued to score while leading striker Serhou Guirassy left to play for Guinea in the Africa Cup of Nations. After Guinea's quarterfinal defeat against DR Congo, Undav's companion is returning, and fans hope to see the pair start together in the German Cup quarterfinal against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday evening.
Depending on Guirassy's shape, Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness is considering unleashing one of Europe's most successful striker duos in order to reach the semis.
Aside from Undav's national team dream, with 14 games to go in the 2023-24 league campaign, it has become a goal to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League.
"I can't believe all of this. Often, I sit together with my wife, and we just say: Wow," Undav said. ■
