"I want to become a legend" – Undav hopes to spend rest of career at Stuttgart

Deniz Undav has set his sights on spending the rest of his playing career at VfB Stuttgart.

Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

Having recently extended his contract with VfB Stuttgart until 2029, Deniz Undav says he'd like to spend the rest of his career at the Bundesliga club.

“A love has developed here," Undav said in an interview on the YouTube channel Hrstryagency (via Bild).

“Ideally, I would like to end my career here – I can already say that much. I'd like to say that I’ll stay here from now on. I want to become a legend,” added the Germany international, who can also imagine taking on a role at the club after retiring.

“My plan is to stay here until the end of my playing career and maybe do something at the club afterwards," he said.

After lengthy negotiations, Undav and Stuttgart finally reached an agreement on a new long-term deal at the beginning of this month.

“Everyone knows I feel comfortable in Stuttgart. I’ve had three wonderful years here. So I thought: why should I leave? I always told my agents that I wanted to stay," Undav said of the negotiations.

“I had a very good season. So it was clear the negotiations would be different than three years ago. But I’m aware that VfB are not at the level of Dortmund or similar clubs financially. You just have to find common ground. Fortunately, we found a solution.

According to Bild, the 29-year-old received a €4 million signing bonus and is now on a base salary of around €5.5 million per year, making him Stuttgart's highest-paid player. Still, Undav believes he could have earned more elsewhere.

“In the winter, I could have signed for another club on a free transfer. I would have received a higher signing bonus and a higher salary there. But I quickly fell in love with the club, the fans and the people here. I simply feel at home. And it’s not like we’re starving here. My wife also wanted us to stay.”

Undav made a strong start to the World Cup with Germany, coming off the bench to score once and provide two assists in the opening 7-1 win over Curaçao.