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Florian Wirtz

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Florian Wirtz
Wirtz with Bayer Leverkusen in 2022
Personal information
Full name Florian Richard Wirtz[1]
Date of birth (2003-05-03) 3 May 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth Pulheim, Germany
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Bayer Leverkusen
Number 10
Youth career
2008–2010 SV Grün-Weiß Brauweiler
2010–2020 1. FC Köln
2020–2021 Bayer Leverkusen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– Bayer Leverkusen 109 (25)
International career‡
2018 Germany U15 1 (0)
2018–2019 Germany U16 5 (0)
2019–2020 Germany U17 4 (0)
2020– Germany U21 6 (2)
2021– Germany 23 (3)
Medal record
Men's Football
Representing  Germany
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Winner 2021 Hungary–Slovenia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 03:28, 19 May 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:40, 5 July 2024 (UTC)

Florian Richard Wirtz (born 3 May 2003) is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the Germany national team.[3] He is regarded as one of the best young players in the world.[4][5]

Early life

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Wirtz was born in the Brauweiler district of Pulheim, North Rhine-Westphalia.[3]

Club career

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Regarded as a big talent in German football, Wirtz joined the youth team of 1. FC Köln in 2010, where he remained until he was signed by Bayer Leverkusen in January 2020.[6] His transfer to Leverkusen was controversial, as Köln felt that Leverkusen violated a gentleman's agreement between the two clubs in signing Wirtz.[7]

After impressing for the under-17 team, Wirtz made his senior professional debut for Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on 18 May 2020, starting in an away match against Werder Bremen.[8] In doing so, he overtook Kai Havertz as Leverkusen's youngest player in the league, at the age of 17 years and 15 days.[9] On 6 June, Wirtz scored his first goal for Leverkusen in the 89th minute of their 4–2 home loss against Bayern Munich, making Wirtz the youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history at the age of 17 years and 34 days.[10] This record would later be surpassed by Youssoufa Moukoko less than a year later, aged 16 years and 28 days.[11] On 22 October, he scored his first goal in European competitions in a 6–2 win over Nice during the 2020–21 Europa League.[12]

Wirtz signed a contract extension with the club on 23 December 2020, extending his deal until 2023.[13] On 19 January 2021, he scored the winner in the 80th minute of Leverkusen's 2–1 home victory over Borussia Dortmund.[14] Wirtz scored his fifth career Bundesliga goal in a 5–2 win against VfB Stuttgart on 6 February, becoming the first player in league history to reach this benchmark before turning eighteen years old.[15] He extended his contract until 2026 on 3 May 2021, the day of his 18th birthday.[16] On 28 November 2021, Wirtz netted his fifth Bundesliga goal of the season in a 1–3 win against RB Leipzig to become the first player under the age of 19 to score more than ten Bundesliga goals.[17] On 15 December, he became the youngest player to reach 50 Bundesliga appearances against Hoffenheim, at the age of 18 years and 223 days.[18]

On 13 March 2022, Wirtz tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a 1–0 defeat against 1. FC Köln, hence he missed the rest of the 2021–22 Bundesliga season.[19] On 22 January 2023, he played his first competitive match in ten months, coming off the bench, in a 3–2 away win over Borussia Mönchengladbach.[20] On 26 October 2023, he scored a goal and provided a hat-trick of assists in a 5–1 victory over Qarabağ during the 2023–24 Europa League group stage.[21] On 14 April 2024, Wirtz scored his first career hat-trick, leading his team to a historic 5–0 title-clinching win over Werder Bremen, which gave Bayer their first German championship.[22]

International career

[edit]

Wirtz received his first call up to the senior team for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March 2021.[23] He debuted on 2 September in a World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein, coming on as a substitute for Joshua Kimmich in the 82nd minute, ending in a 2–0 away victory for the Germans.[24]

In May 2022, coach Hansi Flick expressed his willingness to name Wirtz in the final squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, yet he missed the tournament due to his ACL injury.[25] On 23 March 2024, he scored his first goal for the squad in seven seconds in a friendly match against France in a 2–0 victory, becoming the second fastest goal in international football history behind Austrian footballer Christoph Baumgartner, who scored a goal in just six seconds in another friendly match against Slovakia on the same day.[26][27]

On 7 June 2024, Wirtz was named in Germany's squad for UEFA Euro 2024.[28] On 14 June, he netted the opener of the tournament in a 5–1 victory over Scotland, becoming the youngest German player to score in the European Championship, aged 21 years and 42 days, breaking the previous record of Kai Havertz.[29] In the quarter-final against Spain, Wirtz replaced Leroy Sané at half-time and scored an 89th-minute equalising goal which took the match to extra time. Spain went on to win 2–1 with a 119th-minute goal, knocking Germany out of the tournament.[30]

Style of play

[edit]

Wirtz is an attacking midfielder, although he can also play wide on the left as an inverted winger. He has a marked offensive mindset and is a very dynamic midfielder, who covers a lot of ground.[31]

Personal life

[edit]

Wirtz's parents are his agents; his father, Hans-Joachim, is also chairman of Grün-Weiß Brauweiler, the club that Wirtz played for as a child before joining Köln.[32] His elder sister Juliane Wirtz is a professional footballer as well; she made her Women's Bundesliga debut at the age of sixteen and represented Germany at youth level.[6]

Career statistics

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Club

[edit]
As of match played 25 May 2024[3][33]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League DFB-Pokal Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2019–20 Bundesliga 7 1 1 0 1[a] 0 9 1
2020–21 Bundesliga 29 5 2 1 7[a] 2 38 8
2021–22 Bundesliga 24 7 1 0 6[a] 3 31 10
2022–23 Bundesliga 17 1 0 0 8[a] 3 25 4
2023–24 Bundesliga 32 11 6 3 11[a] 4 49 18
Career total 109 25 10 4 33 12 152 41
  1. ^ a b c d e Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League

International

[edit]
As of match played 5 July 2024[3]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Germany
2021 4 0
2023 10 0
2024 9 3
Total 23 3
As of match played 5 July 2024[3]
Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first.
List of international goals scored by Florian Wirtz
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 23 March 2024 Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon, France  France 1–0 2–0 Friendly [34]
2 14 June 2024 Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany  Scotland 1–0 5–1 UEFA Euro 2024 [35]
3 5 July 2024 MHPArena, Stuttgart, Germany  Spain 1–1 1–2 (a.e.t.) UEFA Euro 2024

Honours

[edit]

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Germany U21

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Florian Richard Wirtz | Player profile". Bundesliga. Archived from the original on 31 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Florian Wirtz" (in German). Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e Florian Wirtz at WorldFootball.net Edit this at Wikidata
  4. ^ "Florian Wirtz: Who is Bayer Leverkusen and Germany's latest wonderkid?". Bundesliga. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  5. ^ "The 25 best young players in world football right now ranked in order". 30 June 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Florian Wirtz: Who is Bayer Leverkusen's new wonderkid and youngest-ever debutant?". Bundesliga. 22 May 2020. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Florian Wirtz, the Cologne gem shining in Leverkusen". bundesliga.com - the official Bundesliga website. Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Germany » Bundesliga 2019/2020 » 26. Round » Werder Bremen – Bayer Leverkusen". WorldFootball.net. 18 May 2020. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Florian Wirtz replaces Kai Havertz as Bayer Leverkusen's youngest ever player". Bundesliga. Deutsche Fußball Liga. 18 May 2020. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  10. ^ "Auch Leverkusen kein Hindernis: Bayern marschiert weiter zum Titel" [Leverkusen no hindrance either: Bayern marches on to the title]. kicker (in German). 6 June 2020. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Youssoufa Moukoko becomes youngest ever Bundesliga scorer for Borussia Dortmund against Union Berlin". Bundesliga. 18 December 2020. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  12. ^ "6:2 gegen Nizza in der Europa League: Bayer Leverkusen startet mit Kantersieg" (in German). Tagesspiegel. 22 October 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Florian Wirtz extends contract to 2023". Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 23 December 2020. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  14. ^ "Florian Wirtz fires Bayer Leverkusen back to winning ways against Borussia Dortmund". Bundesliga. 19 January 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Florian Wirtz continues to rewrite Bundesliga history for Bayer Leverkusen". Bundesliga. 6 February 2021. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  16. ^ "Bayer 04 extend Florian Wirtz contract to 2026". Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 3 May 2021. Archived from the original on 7 December 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  17. ^ "Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz sets new Bundesliga scoring record". Bundesliga. 29 November 2021. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  18. ^ "Florian Wirtz becomes youngest player to make 50 Bundesliga appearances". Bundesliga. 15 December 2021. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Florian Wirtz out for the season after ACL injury". DW. 13 March 2022. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  20. ^ "Bundesliga, Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Bayer Leverkusen: Das 2:3 im Liveticker zum Nachlesen" (in German). spox.com. 22 January 2023. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  21. ^ "Wirtz wirbelt nach Belieben: Bayer lässt Qarabag keine Chance" (in German). Kicker. 26 October 2023. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  22. ^ "Bayer Leverkusen beat Werder Bremen to win the Bundesliga!". Bundesliga. 14 April 2024. Archived from the original on 14 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Start ins EM-Jahr: Musiala und Wirtz erstmals im DFB-Team" (in German). German Football Association. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  24. ^ "Deutschland erfüllt seine Pflicht gegen Liechtenstein". Zeit Online (in German). 2 September 2021. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024. Kurz vor Schluss kam Toptalent Florian Wirtz und wurde zum ersten Debütanten unter Flick [Shortly before the end, top talent Florian Wirtz arrived and became the first debutant under Flick.]
  25. ^ "News in brief: Flick on World Cup chances for Wirtz". Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 20 May 2022. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  26. ^ "France 0–2 Germany: Florian Wirtz scores visitors' quickest international goal". BBC Sport. 23 March 2023. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  27. ^ "Austria striker Christoph Baumgartner scores fastest goal in international football history". Stuff. 23 March 2023. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  28. ^ "UEFA Euro 2024: All squads and players full list". Olympics.com. 7 June 2024. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  29. ^ Radnedge, Christian (14 June 2024). "The kids are alright - Germany's new generation give hope to a nation". Reuters.
  30. ^ "Spain vs Germany: Line-ups". UEFA. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  31. ^ "Wonderkids: Florian Wirtz | Soccerment Research". Soccerment. 12 January 2021. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  32. ^ "8000 Euro für Papa Hätten Sie ihn erkannt? Nationalspieler macht rheinischen Dorfklub froh". express.de (in German). 20 October 2021. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  33. ^ "F. Wirtz". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  34. ^ "Germany beat hosts France 2-0 after record-breaking Wirtz goal". Reuters. 23 March 2024.
  35. ^ "Germany 5-1 Scotland: Hosts hit ground running in Munich". UEFA. 14 June 2024.
  36. ^ "Bayer Leverkusen are 2023/24 Bundesliga champions!". Bundesliga. 15 April 2024. Archived from the original on 14 April 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  37. ^ "Goldene Fritz-Walter-Medaillen an Brand, Adeyemi und Moukoko". dfb.de (in German). 9 November 2022. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  38. ^ "Wirtz, Katterbach und Oberdorf erhalten Fritz-Walter-Medaille in Gold". kicker (in German). 19 August 2020. Archived from the original on 3 June 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  39. ^ "Bundesliga Player of the Month". Bundesliga. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  40. ^ "Florian Wirtz named Bundesliga Player of the Season for 2023/24". Bundesliga. 20 May 2024. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  41. ^ "The EA Sports Bundesliga Team of the Season 2021/22 is here!". Bundesliga. 13 May 2022. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  42. ^ "Bundesliga Team of the Season 2023/24 by EA FC 24!". Bundesliga. 3 May 2024. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  43. ^ a b "Christopher Nkunku zum VDV-Spieler der Saison gewählt" (in German). VDV. 25 May 2022. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  44. ^ a b "Florian Wirtz ist VDV-Spieler der Saison" (in German). VDV. 27 May 2024. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  45. ^ "Florian Wirtz named 2022/23 UEFA Europa League Young Player of the Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 4 June 2022. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  46. ^ "Florian Wirtz named 2023/24 UEFA Europa League Young Player of the Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 May 2024. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  47. ^ "2023/24 UEFA Europa League Team of the Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 May 2024. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  48. ^ "The Athletic's end-of-season awards, 2023-24: Men's football". The New York Times. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
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