Germany striker Deniz Undav has become one of the breakout stars of the World Cup, but for many Kurds and Yezidis, his success represents far more than football .
After scoring three goals in Germany's first two matches and helping secure a place in the knockout stage , Undav has become the first player of Kurdish and Yezidi heritage to score at a World Cup, and the first Yezidi athlete to represent Germany at a major international sporting tournament.
His rise has put a spotlight on a community that has long faced discrimination, persecution and displacement, while also drawing renewed attention to the abuse Undav has endured for openly embracing his identity.
Throughout his career, the 29-year-old has proudly identified as Kurdish and Yezidi, despite facing repeated hostility from Turkish nationalists and far-right groups.
In 2024, when asked during a European Championship press conference why he had chosen to represent Germany instead of Turkey, for which he was also eligible, Undav corrected the journalist.
"First of all, I am Kurdish," he replied.
The remark triggered a backlash in Turkey. Mustafa Destici, leader of the far-right Great Unity Party (BBP), called for Undav to be stripped of his Turkish citizenship.
Last October, Undav was subjected to racist abuse during Stuttgart's Europa League match against Turkish side Fenerbahce in Istanbul.
Following an altercation with Ismail Yuksek, sections of the crowd directed insults including "traitor", "homeless dog" and "terrorist" at him.
His social media accounts are also frequently flooded with Grey Wolves symbols , associated with the Turkish far right.
Yet among Kurds and Yezidis in Germany and across the diaspora, Undav's success has been celebrated as a historic moment.
"For many Kurds and Yazidis in Germany, Kurdistan, and the global diaspora, Deniz Undav's achievement represents a historic and deeply emotional moment," Kerem Gok, co-founder of KON-MED, Germany's largest Kurdish civil society organisation, told The New Arab. "His success on the world's biggest football stage is not merely an athletic feat; it is also a moment of visibility for communities whose history has frequently been defined by displacement, discrimination, persecution, and political marginalisation."
Gok said Undav "embodies a generation that grew up in Germany while carrying within it the memories, experiences, and cultural heritage of their families".
Germany is home to an estimated 1.2 to 1.5 million Kurds and between 200,000 and 230,000 Yezidis, making it one of the largest Kurdish diaspora communities in the world.
Since the 1960s, Kurdish migrants have arrived in Germany in successive waves, initially as guest workers and later as refugees fleeing conflict, political repression and displacement. Many Yezidis arrived during the 1990s after facing religious persecution in Turkey.
"Today, something has become possible that would have been scarcely imaginable just a few decades ago," Gok said.
"Kurdish figures are visible in German public life and are helping to shape it in sports, music, literature, film, and many other fields. For young Kurds, this means having role models with whom they can identify. Deniz Undav exemplifies this new visibility."
Gok also highlighted the abuse Undav has faced because of his heritage.
"KON-MED congratulates Deniz Undav on this remarkable achievement. We hope that his success encourages clubs, the media, institutions, and political actors to pay greater attention to the realities of Kurdish and Yazidi communities, not only during moments of sporting success, but also when these communities face racism, exclusion, or political invisibility," he said. Humble beginnings Born in Varel in Lower Saxony, Undav comes from a Kurdish-Yezidi family whose roots trace back to the village of Isikli in Sanliurfa province and to the village of Berzan near Syria's Hasakeh.
He was raised in Achim, where his football journey began.
His grandfather moved to Germany during the political upheaval that followed Turkey's 1980 military coup, part of a wider migration that saw many Yezidis leave the country.
Undav's route to the top was far from straightforward.
For years he played in Germany's lower leagues while working full-time shifts in a factory to support himself. He later recalled surviving for weeks at a time on little more than "toast and coleslaw".
His breakthrough came in 2020 when he joined Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise, a move he later described as "career-defining".
Until then, he admitted, he had not "really behaved like a professional footballer".
At Union Saint-Gilloise he flourished, winning Belgian Footballer of the Year and scoring 18 goals in his second season.
That form earned him a move to Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022, before a loan spell and eventual permanent transfer to Stuttgart.
His performances there secured a Germany call-up in 2024 and a place in the country's Euro 2024 squad.
Now, at the World Cup , Undav has become one of Germany's most important players.
He scored in Germany's 7-1 win over Curacao before netting twice against Cote d'Ivoire, helping send the four-time world champions into the Round of 32.
For Germany, he has become an unlikely football hero.
For many Kurds and Yezidis, he has become something even bigger: a symbol of visibility, resilience and belonging on the world's biggest sporting stage.