Florian Wirtz is currently working hard on his comeback. The Germany international suffered a serious injury to his left knee in the derby against FC Köln on matchday 26 – the diagnosis: a torn cruciate. The talented forward first faces a period of rehab before making his return to the training ground. And there's a surprise from teammate Amine Adli on his birthday. Here's the video.
Before his injury, Wirtz got off to a flying start under the Bayer Cross. After his move from the youth set-up at FC Köln in January 2020, the Puhlheim-born midfielder did not need time to settle in and soon after arriving as a youth player he was in the Bundesliga team within a few months.
Wirtz first made his entry into the club history books at the age of 17 years, one month and three days in June 2020 as the youngest goalscorer: Playing at the BayArena, the Bayer 04 number 27 beat no less a figure than Manuel Neuer, the Bayern Munich and Germany goalkeeper, with a curler into the far corner. Wirtz became the second youngest goalscorer in Germany's top flight behind BVB youngster Youssoufa Moukoko.
The Leverkusen forward made his Bundesliga debut five matchdays earlier on 18 May 2020 in the away game at Werder Bremen. The then Werkself coach Peter Bosz put the young right-footer (17 years, 15 days) straight into the starting line-up and played him on the right flank. Wirtz was then the youngest Bundesliga player in the club's history but his place was taken in November of the following year by the talented youngsters Zidan Sertdemir and Iker Bravo.
Wirtz established another impressive record on 15 December 2021: In the Werkself home game against TSG Hoffenheim, the right-footer played in his 50th Bundesliga game. Back then he was the youngest player in Germany's top flight to achieve that record at the age of 18 years, 7 months and 12 days. Wirtz has now played 60 games in the Bundesliga. He has clocked up an impressive 19 goals and 22 assists in 79 matches across all competitions for the Werkself.
The versatile forward won over the key managers at the German Football Association (DFB) at an early age. Wirtz played for Germany for the first time with the U15s and he went on to play in the U16, U17 and U19 teams before Stefan Kuntz called him up to the U21 side for the first time in October 2020.
Wirtz was particularly impressive in the finals of the U21 European Championships in 2021: The Werkself player scored both goals in the 2-1 semi-final victory against the Netherlands. His first goal was in the back of the Oranje net after 29 seconds and that was the fastest ever goal in the history of the U 21 European Championships. Wirtz and Co. were able to beat Portugal 1-0 in the final and were crowned the U21 European Champions – also thanks to Wirtz.
The Bayer 04 player is now part of the Germany team. He made his debut under the new coach Hansi Flick in September 2021 in a 2-0 win against Liechtenstein in the World Cup qualifiers. At the age of 18 years, three months and 30 days back then, Wirtz became the eighth youngest Germany player ever. Since then he has made another three international appearances.
The brother of Juliane Wirtz, who plays for the Bayer 04 Women's team, received an individual award in August 2020: The DFB awarded the Leverkusen youngster the gold Fritz Walter medal in the U17 age group.
One thing is certain: After he makes his comeback, Florian Wirtz will be on course to clock up more records…
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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