Midfielder Florian Wirtz of the German team is the first scorer in the EURO 2024 finals.
The first goal of EURO 2024 was scored by Florian Wirtz (German team) in the 10th minute of the opening match. The 21-year-old midfielder became the youngest player of the German team to score in the EURO finals.
Who is Florian Wirtz?
Florian Wirtz was born on May 3, 2003 in Pulheim (Germany). Florian Wirtz started his career at Cologne Club in 2010, when he was just 7 years old. Here, Florian Wirtz showed his talent and played for Cologne’s youth teams. The player was described by local newspaper Kolner Express as “the best midfielder to come to the club in the last 30 years”.
Florian Wirtz played an important role in helping Cologne win the U17 Bundesliga championship in 2019. His performance attracted clubs such as Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Liverpool. However, in 2020, Florian Wirtz moved to Bayer Leverkusen.
On May 18, 2020, Florian Wirtz played in the match between Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen. At that time, he broke Kai Havertz’s record, becoming Leverkusen’s youngest player to debut in the Bundesliga (17 years and 16 days).
In June 2020, Florian Wirtz became the youngest scorer in Bundesliga history when he scored for Bayer Leverkusen in a 2-4 loss to Bayern Munich. At that time, Florian Wirtz was only 17 years and 34 days old. The above record was later broken by Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko.
An interesting thing about Florian Wirtz is that this player used to play soccer and go to school. The young talent of German football decided to prioritize “booklighting”.
Because he had to participate in the exam, Florian Wirtz missed the match against Slavia Prague in the Europa League. In March 2021, Florian Wirtz brought his teachers with him when he joined the national team. The player born in 2003 is both practicing and preparing for the high school graduation exam.
There was a time when Florian Wirtz felt tired from studying and playing football at the same time. This young player confided: “I know I need to devote my energy to both studies and football, although football comes a little more naturally to me. I realized that I didn’t have much time left to study and couldn’t give up when I was so close to the finish line.”
Messi idol
Florian Wirtz once revealed that his idol is Lionel Messi.
“ My first football shirt was Messi’s shirt for the Argentina team,” Wirtz revealed in an interview with Sky Sports Germany in April 2022.
“When I was young, Messi was the best player in the world at that time. I watched his video. I am a fan of Messi and I want to become as good as him ,” the 21-year-old star recounted.
There are many similarities between Messi and Florian Wirtz in their playing style. Both are left-footed players, possess excellent technique, and can play in any position on the offensive line or as an attacking midfielder.
Their tactical vision and excellent dribbling ability make them a nightmare for opposing defenses. Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso also compared Wirtz to Messi.
Florian Wirtz also confessed that the team he dreams of playing for is Barcelona, the club where Messi once played.
“Since childhood, I always dreamed of playing for Barcelona. My dream has not changed until now ,” Wirtz revealed in an interview with Sport Bild.
Before attending EURO 2024, Florian Wirtz contributed to helping Bayer Leverkusen win the Bundesliga championship for the first time in history in the 2023-24 season. At that time, Florian Wirtz scored 11 goals and made 12 assists in 32 appearances for coach Xabi Alonso’s team in the Bundesliga.
With an impressive performance, Florian Wirtz caught the “eye” of Real Madrid, the team that won the Champions League last season. Marca newspaper (Spain) reported that the Spanish Royal Club will recruit Wirtz in 2025. It is worth mentioning that Florian Wirtz’s price has increased to 130 million euros.
