Bayer Leverkusen is in the news for all the right reasons this season as the club continues its historic unbeaten run. Leverkusen has dominated the Bundesliga this season and one of the key players in their machinery is Florian Wirtz. He is not as talked about as Cole Palmer, Foden, or Pedri but he is one of the best youngsters currently in football. The 21-year-old German wonder kid has hit double digits in both goals and assists for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga this season including a hat trick in the 5-0 demolition of Werder Bremen to win the League in April. He has 7 goal contributions in the Europa League and the club’s DFB-Pokal campaign.
Xabi Alonso plays Wirtz as an attacking midfielder and the main creator of his team and he has more than delivered. He has scored 18 goals and provided 19 assists in 45 games this season. His assist tally across all competitions is currently the highest in Europe’s top five leagues.
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Wirtz started his football career from the youth team of FC Köln in 2010 until he signed for Bayer Leverkusen in 2020. After an impressive performance with the under-17 team, he made his professional debut for Leverkusen in May 2020 starting in an away match against Werder Bremen. His debut made him the youngest player ever in the league at that time aged 17 years and 15 days. His impressive profile and string of performances caught the eye of the German national team and he received his call-up to the senior team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March 2021. The coach of the German national team at the time wanted to include Wirtz in the final squad for the World Cup but he unfortunately missed out on the entire tournament because of an ACL injury he suffered in March 2022. The injury kept him out for 10 months and he ended up missing the remaining season of the 2021/22 Bundesliga.
Wirtz picked up from where he left off when he returned from injury in January 2023. He has put in a string of impressive performances over the entire 2023/24 season; enough to make a highlight reel. His performance though, has not been in the media as much as Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, and other promising youngsters probably because Bayer Leverkusen does not have as much clout as the clubs that the other youngsters play for.
As the season comes to a close, in light of Bayer Leverkusen’s historic run and how Florian Wirtz has contributed to it, he makes a solid case for himself as a Ballon d’Or contender. If Bayer Leverkusen wins the treble and does it while unbeaten, it would prop up Wirtz’s chances of winning the coveted prize. He is definitely in the conversation now and that’s impressive given his age and the fact that he had to come back from one of the most devastating injuries a footballer can suffer. Even if he never wins the Ballon d’Or, Wirtz will be an important player in world football and a key player in the German national team just like Thomas Müller.
Other clubs see his potential and are already making moves to bring the youngster to their side but the Leverkusen management has said he is not for sale. Regardless of where he plays, Wirtz is an incredible talent who has a promising career ahead of him. What do you think of the German football prodigy?