Bayer Leverkusen`s Florian Wirtz has impressively lived up to the early promise he showed as a young talent. By the age of just 22, he has cemented his status as one of the Bundesliga`s elite players and a regular in the German national squad.
Origins
Arriving at Pulheim train station near Cologne, you might spot a small sign proudly announcing: `Florian Wirtz`s Hometown`. This is part of a Deutsche Bahn initiative highlighting the hometowns of Germany`s EURO 2024 squad members.
Wirtz was actually born in the family home in Pulheim`s Brauweiler district on May 3, 2003. His father, Hans-Joachim, the youngest of 10 children, described this as a `brave` decision back then. With over half a century difference in age between Florian and his father (and his mother Karin in her mid-60s), one reporter mistakenly referred to his parents as `grandma and grandpa`. However, Wirtz emphasizes the advantages of having his father serve as both his agent and confidante.
“I know he would never want anything bad for me or focus on money,” the younger Wirtz, now in his early 70s, said of his father. “We`ve always had a good relationship. I have huge respect for my dad. I`m happy to have an experienced man by my side who can advise me well.”
This guidance began at SV Grün-Weiss Brauweiler, where his father remains a key board member. As Florian`s first coach, Hans-Joachim immediately recognized his son`s special abilities. “Even then, as now, Florian had skills that set him apart,” Hans-Joachim explained. “And he simply enjoyed football and always looked for a better-positioned teammate.”
Wirtz with his family following Leverkusen`s game in Freiburg in 2023/24.
For Hans-Joachim, a trained locksmith who later became a special education teacher after studying sports in Cologne, keeping football fun was, and still is, crucial for Florian. “It was always our wish that Florian have fun playing football,” Hans-Joachim stated. “That should remain the top priority, even with career considerations. Ultimately, the numbers don`t matter. He should enjoy playing well, and we, as a family, will cherish that.”
With his mother Karin coaching handball and his youngest sister Juliane also a footballer, Florian grew up immersed in sports. “Very few family members haven`t played football,” Wirtz commented. “Football is always on TV. A lot revolves around football in our family.”
Florian`s sister, Juliane, is also a professional footballer and player for Werder Bremen.
This sporty environment meant that when scouts from across the country showed interest in the then eight-year-old, his family played a vital role in deciding his next move. “The family decided we should try a year at Cologne, but it was a difficult decision,” Hans-Joachim recalled about the process that led to his son joining the FC Cologne academy in 2011. “We also considered Bayer Leverkusen and found a good environment there, but the decision to go to Geißbockheim [Cologne`s training center] was pragmatic because of the convenient location.”
Geography was a factor, but the move wouldn`t have happened without Wirtz`s father`s involvement. “The transfer period was officially over on July 2nd, but as the youth academy director at Grün-Weiß, I could put the correct date on the paperwork.”
Wirtz started out at Cologne before moving to Leverkusen.
The Cologne Years & The Breakthrough
“U-17 national team player Florian Wirtz moves from Cologne to Leverkusen with immediate effect. Representatives of both clubs agreed on it for the end of the current transfer window,” read the understated tweet announcing Wirtz`s arrival at the BayArena in January 2020, following the expiration of his Cologne contract.
However, stating that the clubs “agreed” doesn`t fully convey the sentiment in Cologne.
During his nine years with FC Cologne, Wirtz blossomed into one of Germany`s most promising talents. Talk of a special player in Cologne spread beyond the banks of the Rhine, particularly after he led his youth team to a national championship win in the 2018/19 season, overcoming Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals and final.
Beyond his standout performances, Wirtz credits Cologne with instilling a crucial fundamental element into his natural talent.
“My awareness [on the pitch] developed while I was in the Cologne youth system. We specifically worked on that for a couple of years. My youth coach came from the Spanish school of football and placed great importance on it,” Wirtz explained, noting how this training was evident in his spectacular goal during the 2-1 victory over Freiburg on Matchday 9 of the 2023/24 season.
“When I watched my goal against Freiburg again, I immediately noticed how often I turned my head. It seems to have become second nature.”
Wirtz certainly lived up to the hype at Cologne, even generating a viral moment by scoring after just five seconds in a 10-0 win over Wuppertal in December 2019, captaining Cologne`s U17 side. Remarkably, this would be his final appearance for the club.
“Looking back, it was the right decision,” Wirtz stated about his move to Leverkusen. “At Cologne, I had never really considered the first team; it felt too distant.”
This brings us back to Cologne`s frustration. You might not know Marco Quotschalla. He was a highly promising 12-year-old when Cologne signed him from Leverkusen on an eight-year contract in 2001. This led to a `gentleman`s agreement` between the Rhine rivals and their neighbor Borussia Mönchengladbach not to poach each other`s youth academy players. Crucially – at least for Leverkusen`s position regarding Wirtz – senior squad players were not included in this agreement.
“That this [agreement] was ignored shows us the nature of this business,” said then-Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart. Leverkusen chief Rudi Völler countered, “In talks, we presented Florian with a clear sporting path and highlighted how young players like Kai Havertz, Julian Brandt, and Benjamin Henrichs were given early opportunities with us, even in the Champions League.”
Kai Havertz and Wirtz (l-r.) have gone on to enjoy tremendous careers at the top level.
Leverkusen`s sporting director Simon Rolfes added, “I`ve known the player since he was 14. The opportunity suddenly arose because his contract was expiring, so we pursued him. I knew many clubs were interested, and we felt that rather than him going anywhere else, we should try to bring him here and keep him close to home.”
While geographical proximity played a part, Wirtz`s own conviction was key. “My move to Leverkusen at the U17 level was solely my decision, as I saw better prospects for myself in Leverkusen – and it proved to be the case.”
Leverkusen insisted they signed Wirtz with the intention of integrating him into the first team. After just four appearances for the club`s U19 side, they kept their word.
“It`s always something special when you make your debut, especially at just 17,” commented then-Leverkusen coach Peter Bosz after Wirtz played the first 61 minutes of his Bundesliga career in a 4-1 win against Werder Bremen on May 18, 2020. “Overall, it was a good performance from him; he wasn`t nervous.”
Just 19 days later, Wirtz showed no nerves again, becoming the youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history at the time by finding the net in a 4-2 loss to Bayern on Matchday 30.
“This boy learned his best lesson today. He lost the ball on his first three or four touches,” a pragmatic Bosz remarked. “But you can see he`s a huge talent. That`s why he`s playing for us.”
“It wasn`t a good result,” Wirtz posted on Instagram. “But I`m very happy about my first Bundesliga goal.”
Wirtz became the Bundesliga`s youngest ever goalscorer at the time.
The Bundesliga Title Winner
Fast forward to the summer of 2023. Youssoufa Moukoko had since surpassed Wirtz as the Bundesliga`s youngest goalscorer. Wirtz had earned his senior Germany debut but missed the 2022 World Cup due to an ACL injury sustained in mid-March 2022, keeping him out until mid-January 2023.
The injury occurred in a challenge with Cologne`s Luca Kilian before the half-hour mark of a fiercely contested Rhine derby. “On one side, I`m born in Cologne, made great progress there, and had a wonderful time as a kid,” Wirtz explained, reflecting on how the painful injury affected his feelings towards his former club. “But then I tore my ACL in a game against them and wasn`t treated well.”
He returned from the first major injury of his career to participate in 17 Bundesliga matches. Although he scored only once in the top flight, he contributed six assists, helping his team finish comfortably in the top half after a challenging start to the 2022/23 season. He also scored three goals and provided two assists as Leverkusen reached the Europa League semi-finals, ensuring he was in top form heading into what would become one of football history`s most memorable seasons.
“People often describe him as `magic`,” said teammate and Germany international Jonas Hofmann. “It`s almost unbelievable, but he`s so quick with the ball at his feet and incredibly difficult to dispossess. He shrugs off physically stronger opponents and escapes complex situations. He is absolutely vital to our attacking play.”
When your performance level astounds even your teammates, it speaks volumes about how good Wirtz has become. And he was truly exceptional in the 2023/24 campaign.
“I`m going to remember that for a long time,” coach Xabi Alonso said of Wirtz`s audacious goal against Freiburg, one of a career-high 11 Bundesliga strikes that season.
“You can`t defend against Florian Wirtz,” Freiburg boss Christian Streich admitted with resignation after witnessing his team`s struggle. “What can you say? It`s incredible. Only he and Leroy Sané can do that.”
Florian Wirtz was named Bundesliga Player of the Season 2023/24.
Wirtz actually surpassed the Bayern player`s offensive output. He also provided 11 assists and became the first Bundesliga player that season to achieve double figures for both goals and assists, sealing this with a hat-trick in the 5-0 thrashing of Bremen that secured Leverkusen`s first top-flight title in a euphoric Matchday 29 match at the BayArena.
“It hasn`t sunk in yet,” Wirtz said after the 2-1 victory over Augsburg on Matchday 34, which saw the team lift the Meisterschale, having become the first Bundesliga side to complete an unbeaten domestic season. “I still need time to fully process what we`ve achieved. You couldn`t have imagined a season like this.”
“It was a special day,” an emotional Hans-Joachim Wirtz told German TV. “Four years ago, on May 18th, Florian made his first Bundesliga appearance. And now, four years later, he`s champion of Germany. It`s very impressive. It truly touches the heart.”
And Wirtz Sr. even had the chance to hold the trophy. “I had the trophy in my hands,” he beamed with paternal pride. “I was surprised by how heavy it is.”
Wirtz was in fantastic form as Leverkusen won the 2023/24 Bundesliga.
Wirtz continued his dazzling form into the 2024/25 period, bypassing Bundesliga defenders once more and matching his goal involvement tally from the previous season with 10 goals and 12 assists.
The Future
Do you know who Wirtz admired as a child? Despite playing for two Rhine derby clubs, it was a Borussia Mönchengladbach prodigy who inspired him.
“My great idol was Marko Marin. I had a Werder Bremen shirt with his name on it,” Wirtz revealed about Marin, who emerged from the Gladbach youth academy before joining Bremen in 2009. “I was fascinated by his dribbles and his goal threat. In that sense, I could identify with him.”
Although Marin went on to play for clubs like Chelsea, Fiorentina, Anderlecht, and Olympiacos, his career didn`t quite reach the heights his early promise suggested. Wirtz, who already boasts 31 caps for Germany – 15 more than his childhood idol – is clearly on a different trajectory.
