"I would always choose a different type," Sammer explained in his role as a pundit for Prime Video. The 59-year-old preferred players who were "a little more" at the "centre" of the game.
Sammer named no names, stressing that his view was purely subjective. "But that's my way of thinking. That's why, in football, there are often many ways to reach the goal," he explained. He could not resist a small dig at the fans' favourite, though: "When I saw Deniz Undav in an interview, I thought: 'What is he trying to tell me now?'"
Despite that, Sammer considered Undav "completely authentic" and believed the 30-year-old was "extremely well received in this team". That was "very valuable", making it "understandable to an extent" that he wore the armband. Christoph Kramer added: "I also think times have changed a little. Those really strong characters we like to see as captain, I don't even know whether there are that many of them, or whether they always have a guaranteed starting place." The striker "leads by example with his performances", the 2014 world champion continued: "And, as Matthias rightly says, he's also very, very authentic. That's important for a team too. It's not as though I'm saying: 'Blimey, how can he be captain?!'"
Getty ImagesDeniz Undav struggles for goals, especially in the Bundesliga
After his personally successful World Cup trip with the Germany national team (three goals, two assists), Undav took over the role from Atakan Karazor in the summer. Karazor was no longer an undisputed starter even last season. In ten competitive matches since then, Undav has scored just one goal, though he has set up four more. He has yet to register a goal contribution in the Bundesliga.
VfB have struggled in the league, taking only six points from their first six games and most recently suffering a bitter 1-0 defeat away to HSV. Finishing has been their biggest problem. Undav's fellow strikers Ermedin Demirovic and Dzenan Pejcinovic have also lacked a clinical touch in the Bundesliga.
In the Champions League, VfB have seven points after their 1-1 draw against Atletico, helped in part by four goals from Demirovic. They could even have won that match, particularly after Morten Hjulmand's red card in the 64th minute. Pejcinovic, meanwhile, scored a hat-trick in the first round of the DFB Cup.