There was an article that opened with a curious sentence: Florian Wirtz has a problem - he scored his lifes goal too early. That was in the magazine 11 freunde - a famous sports newspaper in Germany, written at the end of 2019, when Wirtz was only 16 years old and a few months away from his Bundesliga debut.
That day, in the match between U17 Cologne and Wuppertal SV, Wirtz received the ball right from the first pass, touched a beat and then shot past the goalkeeper from midfield. All in less than 6 seconds. A goal like a science fiction film. And then, from that moment on, the name Florian Wirtz was no longer a part of the teenage playground.
Talent of the century
From that moment on, Wirtz grew up, not only physically, but also in stature. He became a talent assigned by German experts the title "Jahrhunderttalent" - the talent of the century.
Wirtz grew up in pulheim, a small town in Rheinland of 50,000 people, about 20km from Koln. The house does not have video games or TV. As a child, Wirtz often had to go to his friend's house to watch football. In the summer, the whole family - including Florian, his parents, sister Juliane and about 8 siblings - get in a van together to camp. And there is always football.
Wirtz and Juliane - currently a professional player playing for the Werder Bremen women's team in the Women's Women's Union - are only 18 months apart. They often play soccer in cages in camping areas or participate in matches with other children. It is the same at home, where the balls are scattered all over the living room. Juliane and Florian always play together, one on one, with tables and cabinets as the goal. Florian even dribbled the ball while carrying a plate of rice onto the table.
What makes him different, said Leverkusen manager Gerardo Seoane in 2021, He is capable of keeping a constant alertness in the final third. Wirtz has a steel nerve, always visualizes the situation clearly and makes the right decision.
Wirtz himself admitted that those qualities come from... the carpet at home.
Is you a street players version of working at home? - a reporter from Suddeutsche Zeitung asked right before EURO 2024. Are you an away soccer player?. Yes, Wirtz replied. I learned a lot from that.
All from the family
When he was only 6 years old, Wirtz joined SV Grun-Weiss Brauweiler - a local team. His father is a coach and has been in charge of youth training for many years. He is now the club's president and also the representative of Florian. But he was never labelled as the father who forced his child to play football.
"When we were young, we were simply happy to play football," Florian shared with 11freunde in 2022.
His mother, Karin - a former track and field coach - is also part of Florian's management team.Karin and Hans always appear in the stands every time Florian or Juliane plays.
It was his family that kept Wirtz from the temptations of professional football.U17 coach Martin Heck recalled: I once showed Florian a paper to put him in the German national team in 2028.He didn't know what that newspaper was.At that time, Wirtz still did not have a phone.He lives like a normal child - something that not many young talents can do at the age of 15.
For Heck, what makes Wirtz special is not just his technique or the way he plays football like chess. But it is an extreme hate for defeat. "When he was 10, he was like that, when he was 16, he was like that. If they lose in practice, Wirtz will struggle to play more. I once talked about him not playing for 50 minutes before coming back from a soy sauce shock, but Wirtz cursed, kicked the pot, and angry that he had not spoken to me for 5 days!
From the hated to the winner
In 2020, after 9 years of training in Cologne, Wirtz moved to Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of 200,000 Euros. The move broke the "underlying rule" of not recruiting young players between the three teams of Cologne - Leverkusen - M'Gladbach. When returning to Rheinenergie for the first time, Wirtz was booed by his former fans.
But time proved that choice was right. Leverkusen have a better foundation, a more open football philosophy and Peter Bosz - a coach who loves young players. Wirtz made his Leverkusen first-team debut in May 2020, just three months after moving there. He soon became the youngest player to score in the Bundesliga.
Under the leadership of Xabi Alonso since 2022, Wirtz has matured remarkably. Despite a torn knee ligament in March 2022 - right in the match against Cologne - it only took him 10 months to return. And then, in the 2023 - 2024 season, Wirtz was the creative brain that helped Leverkusen win the Bundesliga with an unbeaten record, winning the German Cup.
22 goals in a season - that is the metric that shows the effectiveness. But according to the Premier League scouts, the most impressive thing is the mentality: Previously, when Wirtz was playing badly, he lost his cool, even trying to take revenge. No now. He was not taken out of the game anymore. More calm, more content.
Off the pitch, Wirtz lives a private life. Don't like noise, don't like social media, don't like showing off. To his friends, he is still a funny Florian. For teammates, he is a gentle and approachable person. To fans, he is a player who is always polite.
Martin Heck said: I have taught hundreds of students, but Wirtz is the one I trust the most. He is not only a good player, but also a good person - something that modern football really needs.
Premier League dream
Wirtz moved to Liverpool this summer. The fee could be up to 136.3 million Euros - making him the most expensive signing in Premier League history. The question is: Is Wirtz "hard enough" for the most fierce tournament in the world? Can you stand firm against collisions? Is it strong enough to survive suspicions, pressure and the media?
But if you know the guy who used to play in the living room, was angry when he was left early, overcame a terrible injury, and endured the whining in what he called home - then you will understand: Wirtz is not just capable of surviving in the Premier League. You came there to win.
Florian Wirtz is no longer a "player of the century" on paper. He is a symbol of the new generation - children who grow up not through the academy's lab, but from the away room and the desire of players to never lose.
