Florian Wirtz

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. He is regarded as one of the best players in the world.^[3][4][5]

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	131	(34)
International career‡
2018	Germany U15	1	(0)
2018–2019	Germany U16	5	(0)
2019–2020	Germany U17	4	(0)
2020–2025	Germany U21	6	(2)
2021–	Germany	29	(6)
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 23:45, 15 February 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13:44, 22 November 2024 (UTC)

Early life

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

Club career

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] By the end of the season he would win the DFB-Pokal final in a 1–0 victory over Kaiserslautern as well as reaching the final of the UEFA Europa League. With forty goal involvements throughout the season for club and country he became German topscorer of the season.

In the beginning of the 2024–25 season he would win the DFL-Supercup with his team against VfB Stuttgart after penalties.

He made his UEFA Champions League debut on the first matchday in a 4–0 away victory over Feyenoord Rotterdam, in which he scored a first-half brace and was named Man of the Match. On matchday two of the competition he would clinch the Man of the Match award for a second time in a 1–0 victory over AC Milan. He would go on to be determined Man of the Match two further times on matchday three in which he scored a goal in a 1–1 draw over Brest as well as matchday five in which he scored another first-half brace as well as giving an assist in the second half to help his team win 5–0 over Salzburg. With five goals in five UEFA Champions League matches he became the first German to ever do that.

International career

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 ever goal for Germany in only seven seconds in a friendly match against France, a 2–0 away victory, becoming the second fastest goalscorer 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]

In September 2024, Florian Wirtz made his UEFA Nations League debut in a 5–0 victory over Hungary with a goal and an assist. On matchday five of the competition, Wirtz would net his first ever free-kick of his professional career and score his first ever brace for the German national team in a 7–0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. He would eventually top the group stage with his country and face Italy in the quarter-final, of which he missed the first-leg match due to a yellow card suspension.

Style of play

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] He also is sometimes used as a striker or a false nine by Xabi Alonso.

Personal life

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.^[6]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 15 February 2025^[3][33]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			DFB-Pokal		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Bayer 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
	2024–25	Bundesliga	22	9	4	0	8[b]	6	1[c]	0	35	15
Career total			131	34	14	4	41	18	1	0	187	56

1. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
2. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
3. Appearance in DFL-Supercup

International

As of match played 19 November 2024^[3]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Germany
	2021	4	0
	2023	10	0
	2024	15	6
Total		29	6

As of match played 16 November 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	[36]
4	7 September 2024	Merkur Spiel-Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany	Hungary	3–0	5–0	2024–25 UEFA Nations League A
5	16 November 2024	Europa-Park Stadion, Freiburg, Germany	Bosnia and Herzegovina	4–0	7–0	2024–25 UEFA Nations League A
6				5–0

Honours

Bayer Leverkusen

• Bundesliga: 2023–24^[37]
• DFB-Pokal: 2023–24^[38]
• DFL-Supercup: 2024^[39]
• UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2023–24

Germany U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2021

Individual

• Ballon d'Or: 2024 (12th)^[40]
• UEFA Europa League Young Player of the Season: 2022–23,^[41] 2023–24^[42]
• UEFA Europa League Team of the Season: 2023–24^[43]
• Bundesliga Player of the Season: 2023–24^[44]
• Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2021–22,^[45] 2023–24^[46]
• Bundesliga Player of the Month: September 2021, October 2023, December 2023, February 2024, December 2024, January 2025^[47]
• Bundesliga Goal of the Month: January 2025^[48]
• VDV Bundesliga Player of the Season: 2023–24^[49]
• VDV Bundesliga Newcomer of the Season: 2021–22^[50]
• VDV Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2021–22,^[50] 2023–24^[49]
• The Athletic Bundesliga Player of the Season: 2023–24^[51]
• ESM Team of the Year: 2023–24^[52]
• Fritz Walter Medal U19 Gold: 2022^[53]
• Fritz Walter Medal U17 Gold: 2020^[54]

References

1. "Florian Richard Wirtz | Player profile". Bundesliga. Archived from the original on 31 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
2. "Florian Wirtz". Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Archived from the original on 11 September 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
3. Florian Wirtz at WorldFootball.net
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5. "The 100 best male footballers in the world 2024". 20 December 2024.
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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.
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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.
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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". Die Zeit (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.]
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35. "Germany 5-1 Scotland: Hosts hit ground running in Munich". UEFA. 14 June 2024.
36. "Spain 2-1 Germany (after extra time): Late Merino header sends La Roja through to semi-finals". UEFA. 5 July 2024.
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40. "Die Bundesliga-Stars beim Ballon d'Or 2024". www.bundesliga.com (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2024.
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42. "Florian Wirtz named 2023/24 UEFA Europa League Young Player of the Season". UEFA. 24 May 2024. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
43. "2023/24 UEFA Europa League Team of the Season". UEFA. 24 May 2024. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
44. "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.
45. "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.
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47. "Bundesliga Player of the Month". Bundesliga. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
48. "Florian Wirtz wins January's Bundesliga Goal of the Month!". Bundesliga. 4 February 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
49. "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.
50. "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.
51. "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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53. "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.
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External links

• Profile at the Bayer 04 Leverkusen website
• Florian Wirtz at DFB (also available in German)
• Florian Wirtz – UEFA competition record (archive)