Florian Richard Wirtz (born 3 May 2003) is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or left midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool and the Germany national team.
Wirtz rose through the youth system at 1. FC Köln before moving to Bayer Leverkusen in 2020. He made his first team debut at the age of 17, becoming the youngest scorer in Bundesliga history. He played a pivotal role in Leverkusen's unbeaten domestic double in the 2023–24 season, earning Bundesliga Player of the Season honours and recording 18 goals in 49 appearances. In June 2025, Wirtz joined Liverpool for approximately £100 million plus bonuses, setting a then club-record fee and a new Premier League transfer record.
Internationally, Wirtz debuted for Germany in September 2021 after representing the country at various youth levels. He later became the youngest ever goalscorer for Germany in the history of the European Championships after he scored a goal against Scotland at UEFA Euro 2024. He also represented Germany at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Wirtz was born on 3 May 2003 in the Brauweiler district of Pulheim, North Rhine-Westphalia.
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.
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 Stuttgart on 6 February, becoming the first player in league history to reach this benchmark before turning eighteen years old. He extended his contract until 2026 on 3 May 2021, the day of his 18th birthday. On 28 November 2021, Wirtz netted his fifth Bundesliga goal of the season in a 3–1 win against RB Leipzig to become the first player under the age of 19 to score more than ten Bundesliga goals. On 15 December, in a match against TSG Hoffenheim, he became the youngest player to reach 50 Bundesliga appearances at the age of 18 years and 223 days.
On 13 March 2022, Wirtz tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a 1–0 defeat against 1. FC Köln, resulting in him missing the rest of the 2021–22 Bundesliga season. On 22 January 2023, he played his first competitive match in ten months, coming off the bench in a 3–2 away win over Borussia Mönchengladbach.
2023–24: Domestic double and player of the season award
On 26 October 2023, he scored a goal and provided a hat-trick of assists in a 5–1 victory over Qarabağ during the 2023–24 Europa League group stage. On 14 April 2024, Wirtz scored his first career hat-trick, leading his team to a historic 5–0 title-clinching win over Werder Bremen, which gave Bayer their first German championship. By the end of the season, he would win the DFB-Pokal final following a 1–0 victory over Kaiserslautern as well as reach the final of the UEFA Europa League. With twenty-two goal involvements throughout the season for his club in Bundesliga, he was voted player of the season.
2024–25: DFL-Supercup title, Champions League debut and departure
In the beginning of the 2024–25 season, Wirtz would win the DFL-Supercup with his team against VfB Stuttgart on penalties. He made his UEFA Champions League debut on the first matchday in a 4–0 away victory over Feyenoord, in which he scored a first-half brace and was named man of the match. Wirtz would go on to achieve this honour in four further matches against AC Milan, Brest, Red Bull Salzburg and Sparta Prague, three of which he scored in; his five man of the match awards was more than any other player that season. He also became the first German player to score five goals in five Champions League matches. His side would eventually be knocked out in the round of 16 by fellow Bundesliga side Bayern Munich 5–0 on aggregate, of which he missed the second leg match due to injury.
On 20 June 2025, Wirtz joined Premier League club Liverpool on a long-term contract for a reported fee of depending on the source £100 million (€117.5 million) or £107 million (€125 million), with £16 million (€18.8 million) or €25 million in bonuses. Wirtz became the sixth most expensive footballer of all time, and also became the largest transfer in the history of the Bundesliga, replacing Ousmane Dembélé as record holder. His transfer represented a club record fee for Liverpool, succeeding Darwin Núñez's move from Benfica in 2022, as well as a potential British record transfer, should the add-ons be activated.
Wirtz made his debut for Liverpool on 10 August in the FA Community Shield against Crystal Palace, recording an assist in a 2–2 draw in normal time, though his side would eventually lose 3–2 on penalties. On 15 August, he made his league debut for Liverpool in a late 4–2 win over Bournemouth. Later that year, on 22 October, he provided his first two assists in a 5–1 away victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League. Two months later, on 20 December, he recorded his first Premier League assist in a 2–1 away win over Tottenham Hotspur. A week later, on 27 December, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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.
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.