“The important thing is not the fall, because the fall is inevitable, the important thing is knowing how to get up”. Borrowed from Joël Dicker, these words have, today, a particular resonance for Florian Wirtz, young star of Bayer Leverkusen. Victim of a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee against Cologne, his training club, and broke down in full ascension in March 2022, the kid from Pulheim, now 20 years old, shines, once again, brightly. After nine months of being sidelined, the man who is often associated with the bright future of German football had already proven, at the end of last season, that this terrible injury was just a simple blow. stopping in its mad progress. With 8 assists and 4 goals in 25 appearances in the jersey of the residents of the BayArena, the young attacking midfielder quickly regained his sensations, allowing his team to secure a sixth place, synonymous with the Europa League, after a start nightmarish 2022-2023 fiscal year. On his momentum and under the leadership of Xabi Alonso, the 1m77 right-hander finally took advantage of Pillendreher’s historic season to confirm his explosion at the highest level.
Under contract until June 2027, the German international (16 caps, 1 goal) has thus become, over the weeks, Bayer’s playing master. Flocked with the number 10 on the back after the departure of Kerem Demirbay, the defector from Cologne, who arrived in Leverkusen in January 2020, has continued to make an impression. An outstanding technician with a certain magic in his feet, the German phenomenon finally became the symbol of the historic coronation won by his people this Sunday. “He is an exceptional technician, he loves to play, he is very creative, he has a good shot, he runs hard and he is fast: he has the complete package”, Hansi Flick, former coach of the Mannschaft, noted a few years ago. An analysis widely verified over recent months. In a role as a playmaker, sometimes as a winger, Wirtz simply sublimated each match he played, to the point of becoming the great architect of the impressive series of invincibility of the Werkself, still undefeated after 43 matches played. all competitions combined this season, as much as Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus during the 2011-2012 season. A few days before celebrating his 21st birthday and after years of scarcity for the North Rhine-Westphalia team, Wirtz did not fail to play the leading roles on this day of April 14, 2024 which will remain marked of a white stone in the history of those who were until then nicknamed Neverkusen.
A hat-trick in the sights before the Euro…
Entering at the start of the second period, when Bayer Leverkusen was already leading 2-0, the crack Pillendreher then scored a hat-trick (68th, 83rd, 90th) including a marvelous strike sent under the bar of a helpless Michael Zetterer . An XXL performance adding a little more to his already stunning statistical line: 17 goals and 18 assists in 41 matches in all competitions this season. Technical leader of his team, with an above-average vision of the game and fully devoted to the team (he is the Bayer Leverkusen player who runs the most), Wirtz ultimately led an entire group to glory. “Florian is a gift to me as a coach”had recently recognized Xabi Alonso, also not hesitating to compare him to a certain Lionel Messi… “Why is Messi so strong? Because he knows when to make a simple pass. He knows how to say: ‘Are you in a better position? Here, here’s the ball.’ It’s not always the idea of making the nicest gesture, but the best, the most intelligent. Florian knows how to do that too. That’s why he’s so good.”.
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As effective as he is beautiful to watch play, the offensive boss of the Rhinelanders, called by Julian Nagelsmann during the last gathering of the German selection, has also left no one indifferent during a season which will remain, whatever happens. in other words, historic for him and his partners. “We can’t defend him, we have to accept it. We can decide to do two takes, but if it still passes we will say to ourselves ‘why did we do a two take?’ It’s impossible”, had in this sense recognized Christian Streich, coach of Fribourg, amazed by a new masterclass from the maestro of the Werkself. Today coveted by the biggest names in Europe, starting with Real Madrid who see in him a generational talent, Florian Wirtz in the meantime fully intends to win everything in his path before seeing his future set the planet ablaze soccer. With a hat-trick in their sights – Xabi Alonso’s men are qualified for the final of the German Cup (against Kaiserslautern) and still in the race in the Europa League (2-0 victory against West Ham in the quarter-final first leg ) – and the possibility of shining during the next Euro organized in Germany, the one who martyred the Blues last March could definitively make this 2023-2024 exercise the scene of a new reign. A reign named Florian Wirtz.
