“A big talent, has done fantastically for Xabi Alonso at Leverkusen. There is talk he’s going to be a really big signing. Big talent, huge future in front of him. Liverpool is the place for him, let’s hope we can make it happen.”
Steven Gerrard, former Liverpool captain
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“On a day-to-day basis, he’s exactly how you see him on the pitch. He is impressive. He plays like he’s been playing for 10 years. He’s intelligent. He’s also a great person. He was the first one who took care of me when I arrived at the club [Leverkusen]: he was my first friend. Flo asked me about Celtic, invited me to his house, we would go out for dinner. He did things to make me feel at home.”
Jeremie Frimpong, new Reds player and previously Wirtz’s teammate at Leverkusen
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“He was excellent against us [for Germany versus Scotland at Euro 2024], I do remember that. Obviously that game was extremely tough for us but he was excellent, he was the one causing us problems in the half-space, running in behind, he can mix it up. I haven’t seen too much of him but I have played against him and I think that was enough for me to see he was going to be a top player. Then obviously we played Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League this year as well; we dominated that game a bit more and it was probably a bit more difficult, but certainly in the German team against us he was excellent.
“If we get him through, then [it is] an exciting talent through the door. We’ve already got a lot of exciting talent in there and he’s a right good player and he’ll only help us. If he does get through the door, we’ll be excited to play with him.”
Andy Robertson, Liverpool and Scotland defender
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“When he was 15, he already played like a professional in the Bundesliga. It was not only his skills and his technique, but the game he played in his mind. He played football like it was chess and he did things you normally don’t see in youth players. He would think about what comes in the second or third phase, after passing the ball. It was amazing.
“But when anyone asks me, ‘What’s special about Florian Wirtz?’, I say that he has the greatest ambition I’ve ever seen in football from a player, young or old. His will to win. You could see that when he was 10 years old, when he was with me at 16 years old and nowadays, too. He can’t stand losing and that’s something he has had from the very beginning.”
Martin Heck, Wirtz’s U17 coach at Cologne
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“Wirtz doesn’t just want to be involved in the attacking play, he wants to be the decisive part of it. He is straightforward and clear-minded. He waits, he picks his moments, and can alter the speed of a game with one touch or pass.
“That’s why he seems ideal for Liverpool. The system of play there has pace, vertical direction and a clear allocation of roles within the team that should suit him really well.”
Philipp Lahm, World Cup winner with Germany
