Florian Wirtz

Early career

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.

Bayer Leverkusen

2020: Professional debut

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.

2020–23: Contract extension and long-term injury

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…

Youth

Wirtz represented Germany at under-15, under-16, under-17 and under-21 levels. While playing for the U21 side at the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, he scored twice in a 2–1 semi-final victory against the Netherlands as Germany went on to win the tournament.

Senior

2020–24: Debut and first goals

In March 2021, Wirtz received his first call up to the German senior team from manager Joachim Löw for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Iceland, Romania and North Macedonia. He later made his debut on 2 September in another World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein, coming on as a substitute for Joshua Kimmich in a 2–0 away victory for the Germans. In May 2022, coach Hansi Flick expressed his willingness to name Wirtz in the final squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, though he ultimately missed the tournament due to his ACL injury. On 23 March 2024, he scored his first senior goal for Germany seven seconds into a friendly match against France, a 2–0 away victory, breaking Lukas Podolski's record, also becoming the second fastest goalscorer in international football history behind Austrian footballer Christoph Baumgartner, who scored a goal in just six seconds in another friendly match against Slovakia on the same day.

2024–25: Euros and Nations League

On 7 June 2024, Wirtz was named in Germany's squad for UEFA Euro 2024. On 14 June, he netted the opener of the tournament in a 5–1 victory over Scotland, becoming the…

Wirtz was born on 3 May 2003 in the Brauweiler district of Pulheim, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Wirtz's parents are his agents; his father, Hans-Joachim, is also chairman of Grün-Weiß Brauweiler, the club that Wirtz played for as a child before joining Köln. Wirtz has nine siblings, four brothers and five sisters. His older sister Juliane is a professional footballer as well. Wirtz has been dating model and influencer Aaliyah Cloßen Mohamed since about 2022. The relationship has generated minor controversy given the fact that Cloßen Mohamed is Muslim, while Wirtz is not.