🤯 Benchwarmer plays like this?! Germany hero Undav equals World Cup mark

He would probably much rather not have broken this record if it meant he could start more often.

But with his brace off the bench in the German national team’s second group match, Deniz Undav secured a World Cup record. Those two goals mean he has already been involved in five goals. And that despite coming off the bench in both matches instead of being allowed to play on the green pitch from the start.

Only one player before him had collected that many goal contributions as a substitute — and that was a damn long time ago. At the 1990 World Cup finals, Roger Milla was involved in just as many goals for Cameroon as a super sub.

An incredible statistic, but also one that gives food for thought. Which brings us to the merit principle: shouldn’t the VfB star be allowed to prove his ability from the start at some point?

Or is Julian Nagelsmann showing a golden touch by assessing Undav’s strengths so precisely and expecting far more from him in the closing stages than from having him in the starting lineup earlier in the match?

Feel free to share your opinion in the comments!

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.