Florian Wirtz

Florian Richard Wirtz (born 3 May 2003) is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool and the Germany national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in the world.

Wirtz rose through the youth system at 1. FC Köln before moving to Bayer Leverkusen in 2020. He made his first team debut at the age of 17, becoming the youngest scorer in Bundesliga history. He played a pivotal role in Leverkusen’s unbeaten domestic double in the 2023–24 season, earning Bundesliga Player of the Season honours and recording 18 goals in 49 appearances. In June 2025, Wirtz transferred to Liverpool for a club-record fee (approximately £100 million plus bonuses), marking a high‑profile move in his emerging career.

Internationally, Wirtz debuted for Germany in September 2021 after representing the country at various youth levels. He later became the youngest ever goalscorer for Germany in the history of the European Championships after he scored a goal against Scotland at UEFA Euro 2024.

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

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. His transfer to Leverkusen was controversial, as Köln felt that Leverkusen violated a gentleman's agreement between the two clubs in signing Wirtz.

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. In doing so, he overtook Kai Havertz as Leverkusen's youngest player in the league, at the age of 17 years and 15 days. 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. This record would later be surpassed by Youssoufa Moukoko less than a year later, aged 16 years and 28 days. On 22 October, he scored his first goal in European competitions in a 6–2 win over Nice during the 2020–21 Europa League.

Wirtz signed a contract extension with the club on 23 December 2020, extending his deal until 2023. On 19 January 2021, he scored the winner in the 80th minute of Leverkusen's 2–1 home victory over Borussia Dortmund. 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. He extended his contract until 2026 on 3 May 2021, the day of his 18th birthday. On 28 November 2021, Wirtz netted his fifth Bundesliga goal of the season in a 3–1 win against RB Leipzig to become the first player under the age of 19 to score more than ten Bundesliga goals. On 15 December, in a match against TSG Hoffenheim, he became the youngest player to reach 50 Bundesliga appearances at the age of 18 years and 223 days.

On 13 March 2022, Wirtz tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a 1–0 defeat against 1. FC Köln, resulting in him missing the rest of the 2021–22 Bundesliga season. 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.