Germany's most gifted teenager since Müller — Bundesliga champion and the European Championship's standout individual.
Florian Wirtz was born in Pulheim, Germany in 2003. Bayer Leverkusen's academy developed him and he made his Bundesliga debut at 17. In 2023-24 he was the creative engine of Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen team that went the entire season unbeaten — winning the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal without a single loss across all competitions, the first unbeaten domestic double in German football history. He won the German Footballer of the Year award in consecutive seasons (2023, 2024). He produced 18 goals and 20 assists in the unbeaten season. He was the standout individual of Euro 2024 for Germany — his close control, creative passing and ability to create space in tight areas drew comparison to Zidane by German coaches. He suffered a cruciate ligament injury in March 2022 that cost him his entire development season — he returned and within a year was nominated for the Ballon d'Or. Transfer fees cited for him consistently exceed £100 million. He is the most valuable German footballer of his generation.
Bundesliga (2024 unbeaten)
Career Honours
- Bundesliga (2024 unbeaten)
- DFB-Pokal (2024)
- German Footballer of Year (2023,2024)