Florian Wirtz, a 19-year-old football player from Germany, has already made a nаme for himself as one of the sport’s most promising talents. He now plays attacking midfield for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and for the German national team.
Wirtz was born on May 3, 2003, in Pulheim, Germany. He began playing football at a young age after enrolling in the FC Cologne junior academy. His skill with the ball and his ability to create chances and score goals quickly made him a household nаme.
In 2019, Wirtz led his hometown team Cologne to victory in the Under-17 German Championship. The local newspaper Kolner Express praised Wirtz as the finest midfield player to pass through the club in thirty years. But Leverkusen triumphed, and they signed him in 2020 from Cologne.
Comes from a footballing family
Hans-Joachim Wirtz, Florian’s father, was a former German football player who competed in the lower divisions. His mother Karin and father serve as his agents. Florian’s early football career was spent at the local SV Grun-Weiss Brauweiller, where his father is the chairman, prior to Florian moving to Cologne.
Football is obviously a family pastime, and he could have influenced Florian’s ardor for the game. His family must be football crаzy, which must have influenced his work ethic in some manner. Furthermore, his sister plays football professionally as well.
His sister also plays for Leverkusen
The Wirtz family is deeply involved in the sport. You might be shocked to learn that Juliane Wirtz, Florian’s older sister, works for the wоmen’s team at Bayer Leverkusen.
Actually, when it came to clubs, Florian was the one who emulated his elder sister. Both of them began their playing careers with Grun-Weiss Brauweiler as young players. Later, they transferred to FC Cologne and, finally, Bayer Leverkusen.
Florian responded to a question about the matter in an interview with Leverkusen’s official website, saying, “Even though she is two years older, we were on the same squad straight from the start. However, I swiftly moved from Brauweiler to FC Koln following that, and that was all. The family doesn’t have many people who have never played football. We constantly have football on TV at our house because of this. A lot of things around football happen to us.”
Compared with Kai Havertz
Wirtz, an attacking midfielder with winger versatility, has drawn comparisons to Kai Havertz, a former colleague who joined Chelsea in 2020 after leaving Bayer Leverkusen. The 18-year-old has acknowledged that Kai Havertz serves as an inspiration to him.
“Despite Kai’s young age of 21, he has demonstrated his abilities at the greatest level for many years, winning titles in the Bundesliga, the Champions League, and now the Premier League with Chelsea. I find it uncomfortable to be compared to him when I was 16 or 17. I assumed he was wondering, “Why are they comparing me to such a small lad?” I found it a little odd that everything got so much attention in the media even though very few people were familiar with me or had seen me perform. However, I’ve always gotten along great with him,” Wirtz stated in a statement sent to the club’s website.
“Of course Kai is a role model,” he went on. Above all in training, I learned a great deal from him and he provided me some helpful advice. He was undoubtedly an inspiration to me. His initial touch with the ball, which was superior than everyone else on the squad, really pleased me. Because of this, he was able to almost always capitalize on opportunities in front of goal and set himself up in the ideal position to receive passes.”
After Havertz’s departure, the 19-year-old took up the number 10 position from his predecessor and made it his own after making cautious inroads into the first team.
Idolises Messi
Wirtz has said that Lionel Messi is his hero. At the most recent World Cup, the Argentine playmaker was a joy to witness as he further solidified his GOAT reputation and was the main reason for the Albiceleste’s long-awaited victory.
In April 2022, Wirtz said in an interview with Sky Sports Germany, “My first jersey was Messi’s Argentina jersey.”
He was the greatest player in the world when I was a tiny child. I was a fan of his and watched videos of him because I wаnted to be just like him.
Given the obvious similarities in their playing styles, it should come as no surprise that Wirtz thinks highly of Messi. Both are left-footed players with exceptional technical ability who can play as оffensive midfielders or wherever in the front line. A terror for opponents, they are skilled with both feet, have excellent vision, and can dribble.
The Leverkusen manager, Xabi Alonso, who faced Messi directly while he was at Madrid, has drawn comparisons between Messi and Wirtz because of how similar their movements are.
The second youngest ever goal-scorer in Bundesliga history
At the early age of 17 years and 34 days, Wirtz scored his first goal for Bayer Leverkusen in a 4-2 loss to Bayern Munich, setting a record for the youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history. In November 2005, Nuri Sahin established the previous record, which Wirtz surpassed at 17 and 82 days. Youssoufa Moukoko, a 16-year-old from Dortmund, would eventually break this record.
A professional football player’s first goal is often a memorable occasion, and Wirtz’s deft use of the ball in just his fourth Bundesliga game demonstrated his almost limitless skill.
Serial Record Breaker
Wirtz is a genuine football superstar who has advanced quickly in the sport. His brilliance and aptitude set him apart from his colleagues. He has broken several records in his brief career to date, as you have probably already surmised.
As previously noted, Wirtz surpassed Havertz to become the youngest player to debut for Leverkusen in the league and, at the same time, became the youngest goal scorer in the German top division.
In February 2021, Wirtz made league history by being the first player to score five goals prior to turning eighteen. Additionally, he made history last year by being the youngest player under 19 to score more than 10 goals in the Bundesliga.
He became the youngest player to reach 50 appearances in the German top division on December 15, 2021, in a 2-2 draw against Hoffenheim, at the age of eighteen years and two days. That same 2021–22 season, he was named to the Bundesliga Team of the Season.
Two-time Fritz Walter medal winner
Widely regarded as one of Germany’s most promising young players, Wirtz was acclaimed as the country’s best prоspect in the under-17 division in 2020 after winning the gold Fritz Walter medal following an outstanding debut Bundesliga season. In 2020, he was given the honor a second time, albeit in the U19 division.
“It was undoubtedly a pleasant sensation. I’ve been eagerly anticipating holding it in my hands. My long-term ambition was to win this medal. “Receiving this acknowledgement holds great significance for me,” Wirtz remarked upon accepting the award.
The Fritz Walter Medal, named for the captain of West Germany’s 1954 World Cup-winning team, is recognized as the greatest award given to players in German youth football (U19, U17, and U18). Star players from the past, such as Kai Havertz, Antonio Rudiger, and Manuel Neuer, have also received the medal.
Turned down Leverkusen as a young kid
Wirtz said that while he was a young player for Grun-Weiss Brauweiler, he was already promised a spot in Leverkusen’s youth levels. Still, he first decided to go to Cologne for the next stage of his growth.
Simon Rolfes, the sports director of Leverkusen, subsequently disclosed that he was enthralled by the Brauweiler-born phenomenon when he watched Wirtz for the first time at the age of 13.
“I can see why ‘FC’ was let down and why its supporters are still upset about it. However, I feel very at home in Leverkusen,” Wirtz stated of his decision to move from Cologne to Leverkusen in an interview with Bild.
“I had to consider my viewpoint and my future, and looking back, I think I made the proper choice. It was so far away at ‘FC’ that I wasn’t even considering playing professionally at that moment, said Wirtz.
In the end, Wirtz and Leverkusen were destined to be together as he was unable to resist the German powerhouses on the second attempt and chose to play at BayArena, which has been successful thus far.
School comes first
One day, a professional football player, and the next, a student. This is something every adolescent has fantasized of to flaunt and show off. For Wirtz it was a reality. He was already a professional football player in his high school because of his skill on the field.
He was a regular for Leverkusen and missed a Europa League match against Slavia Prague due to an exam. In March 2021, the young player was with the senior national squad and had to bring a teacher with him because he was getting ready for his A-Levels. That was quite the story. For Wirtz, school comes first, but balancing the two hasn’t been simple at all.
“I have to sаy that juggling both at once is really taxing. Even if playing football comes more easily to me, I know that I need to put the same amount of effort into both my schoolwork and my football career. However, I understand that I’m running out of time to finish my education, so I can’t give up so soon,” Wirtz stated in a 2021 interview with the German Football Association.
Barcelona is his dream club
With his exploits at such a tender age, Wirtz has surely caught the eye of Europe’s elite sides given he’s a high-ceiling, high-potential talent, and should the highly-rated midfielder want to take the step to a bigger club in the future, he would reportedly prefer a move to Barcelona.
“I’ve always wаnted to play for Barcelona since I was a little lad. In an interview with Sport Bild, Wirtz said, “I still have some time until then, but nothing has changed in this regard.”
Varied off-field interests
Off the field, Wirtz is an equally animated individual. He may be seen participating in a variety of water sports on his vacations, such as jet skiing, boating, and swimming on German beaches. In addition, he enjoys traveling, reading, playing pool, and playing video games like FIFA. He was once seen at a gas station with a black Mercedes-Benz, which is one of his favorite automobiles.
Boasts a classy fashion sense ️
In addition to having a fantastic sense of style, Wirtz has a history of being involved in fashion, both on and off the field. He’s been seen sporting some stylish attire. He has been spotted sporting fashionable attire such as sneakers, denim jackets, and slim-fit suits.
Adidas, one of the biggest athletic brands worldwide, is Wirtz’s sponsor. As part of his endorsement agreement with the firm, he has been spotted wearing Adidas apparel and footwear both on and off the field. He has also been in many of the company’s promotional films.
All of the information shown above is available on his Instagram.
In-demand talent
The young player’s current deal at Leverkusen expires in2027, but it doesn’t seem probable that he will stay at the club for the remainder of it. Leverkusen have carved out a place for themselves by raising up-and-coming talent and then peddling it to European power brokers for massive revenues.
The Wirtz family, meanwhile, does not appear to be easily swayed by more generous offers from rival teams. The best teams in Europe have been making bids for a while now, and if Leverkusen is not selected for the European football league this year, those offers will probably come in higher.
The Leverkusen leadership and supporters are delighted to hear that Wirtz’s father, Hans-Joachim, is also his son’s agent.
“Florian and Bayer are bound by a long-term deal. Hans-Joachim recently stated, “We want to fulfill as much of it as we can. “Of course, every young player wants to play with the best but until the Euros in 2024 Florian is best placed at Leverkusen.”