New signing Martin Terrier recently revealed in a press conference that of all his new team-mates, he was most looking forward to playing with you.
Wirtz: "It's obviously an honour for me to hear that. He's also making a very positive impression on me. He's a very open and interested person, and on the pitch too we've gained a very good player in him. The other new guys have also brought further quality to our team. You can really feel that everyone's working hard on the pitch at the moment. Everyone wants to prove themselves, which is how it should be because a team lives off that. I think that's exactly the right approach for the new season."
Some youth players are also here. Do you see yourself as a role model for them?
Wirtz: "Certainly, as I know what it's like. It's not that long ago that I went through that. It's not always easy when you move up to the first team. That's why I want to prove to myself again and again with my conduct on and off the pitch, in terms of professionalism and attitude, that I approach everything with focus and, in the same breath, also show the younger players how it's done, so that they can perhaps lean on me. And so far I'm very satisfied with the boys (laughs)."
And away from the pitch, how are you spending your leisure time here?
Wirtz: "You'll often find me playing singles or doubles on the table tennis table - always with Amine (Adli] as partner. That's my main skill besides football. I'd go as far as saying that we're the best duo, but unfortunately we've also suffered a defeat. I'm not going to name who it was against or dish out any praise. We'll put it right in the coming days (laughs)."
