Florian Wirtz: DEEP DIVE - A History Of The German Star

by Abdullah Mamaniyat

‘Cool’ is the keyword. Cool is what Florian Wirtz, Liverpool’s £116m signing has to be in order to sound out the scrutiny of the British media after a slow start to his career at Anfield. 

Wirtz recently spoke to Sky Sports Germany in a brutally honest assessment of his start in Merseyside: “No matter what anyone says, I’m staying cool. I know what I’m capable of, and I also know that I’ll really bring it to the pitch at some point, so I’m just staying cool.

“It’s no secret that I’d like to have more so far, but I’m patient, and as I just said, I know full well that I can play football well. Sooner or later, I’m sure that will return to normal.”

Back home, the outspoken Karl-Heinz Rummenigge recently said: “I still feel sorry for Florian Wirtz, because I think the player would be better at Bayern Munich than at Liverpool.” 

Wirtz attracted interest from a number of high-profile clubs, including Bayern, which shows the bitterness and eyes that his high-profile transfer to Anfield has attracted.

The heavier the price tag, the heavier the crown. The current ‘King of the Kop’ is undisputedly Mo Salah, but the first few games of the season has shown the Egyptian’s waning influence on the team. 

It is part of the reason why manager Arne Slot went all out on superstar signings. It is simply impossible to replace Salah with one or two signings, but rather a combination of great signings.

Wirtz is the biggest statement signing of the club moving in a different direction under Slot, as the Dutchman kept much of Klopp’s team in his maiden season that led him to a Premier League title in his first attempt. 

Changing a winning team as much as he has is unheard of at this level, but identifying players who can revolutionise an already winning team all have incredible beginnings too.

Early rise at Leverkusen

Florian Wirtz hails from Pulheim, a small town in North Rhine-Westphalia, just west of Cologne - one of Germany’s great footballing cities. It was there that Wirtz joined the academy at the age of seven. He remained with Köln for a decade, developing rapidly into one of the brightest talents of his generation.

By the time he turned 17, Europe’s biggest clubs had already begun circling. This was around the same time that Michael Edwards had also identified Wirtz as a prospect for Liverpool, as they tried, but ultimately failed to land him. 

At the request of his parents, Wirtz chose a comfort zone close to home at Bayer Leverkusen, where he could play football and finish his studies, only about a 55-minute drive from the RheinEnergieSTADION in Cologne. 

Each season, his influence on the team deepened, his maturity coming with age. His journey to stardom has been organic, symbolised in patience, family guidance, and a relentless will to improve. 

Having represented Germany at every age group from U15 upwards, his transition to the senior side felt inevitable, marked by his senior debut in a 2021 World Cup Qualifier against Liechtenstein.

Superstardom Status Under Xabi Alonso… And Beyond

In his final two seasons at Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso, Wirtz flourished as a left-sided number ten within a 3-4-2-1 system. 

Playing on his natural side would have been the easier route, but Alonso’s decision to deploy him on the left made full use of his unpredictability. 

A predominantly right-footed player who is also highly capable with his left, Wirtz became almost impossible to read. He could cut inside to thread passes, drift wide to deliver crosses, or hold the ball before slipping through perfectly-timed runs. It was this versatility that sent his creative numbers soaring as the starman in Leverkusen’s record breaking ‘Invincible’ 2023/24 season.

The Alonso system demanded patience, discipline, and intelligence, and it proved the perfect finishing school for Wirtz’s transition from wonderkid to bona fide superstar. 

His relentless work-rate would also have made him a natural fit in Jürgen Klopp’s gegenpressing blueprint, but fate didn’t allow that until now under Slot.

Alonso also experimented with him as a false nine, a role he performed comfortably in the Bundesliga. Yet, the physical and tactical demands of Premier League centre-backs would likely make that position a stretch in England, particularly with Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak already ‘Premier League proven’ in their own right.

So far, Wirtz has been introduced in a number ten role, though the balance has occasionally appeared top-heavy with him in the side. Much of this stems from his usual territory currently occupied by Cody Gakpo on the left wing. 

Over a short span of time, however, he has begun to look more at ease, gradually finding rhythm and chemistry with his new teammates - even if his goals and assists column remains blank… for now.