“Florian Wirtz is an exceptional lad who has all the potential required to make a significant contribution to German football in the coming years,” said Rudi Völler, the sporting managing director at Bayer 04. “We’ll do all we can at Leverkusen to encourage his great development in the future. I think he’s in the right place with us here as Bayer 04 gives young players the chance to get top-level match practice early on.”
Florian Wirtz, who made his debut for Leverkusen in January 2020, is following in big footsteps at Bayer 04. Benjamin Henrichs won the Fritz Walter gold medal in the U19 section in 2016 and Kai Havertz followed two years later. Simon Rolfes: “The Fritz Walter medal is absolutely deserved in every respect given the way Florian has performed in the Bundesliga and in Europe at his young age. Nevertheless, he’s still a young player and we want to continue to help in his development. If he carries on as he is with his attitude then Florian will definitely have a wonderful career.”
In the first half of last season, Florian Wirtz was playing for the FC Köln youth team. After his move to Leverkusen, he first appeared for the U19s in the U19 Bundesliga West before joining the first team squad after the break enforced by the coronavirus pandemic. Wirtz came off the bench to make his Bundesliga debut at Werder Bremen on 18 March – at the age of 17 years and 15 days, he was the third youngest debutante in the history of the Bundesliga. The youngster from Pulheim made history again 19 days later: His strike against Bayern Munich made him the youngest goalscorer in the top flight of German football.
Meikel Schönewitz, head coach of the Germany youth teams, said the following about Florian Wirtz: “He’s a creative playmaker who has very good basic techniques. He’s dealt very well with all the hype about him and ridden that wave in a positive sense – and that shows he has a rational personality and the right focus.” Wirtz has been in all of the Germany youth squads from the U15s and has made nine international appearances to date.
Leverkusen winners of the Fritz Walter medal:
2020: Florian Wirtz (U17/gold)
2018: Kai Havertz (U19/gold)
2016: Benjamin Henrichs (U19/gold); Kai Havertz (U17/silver)
2015: Jonathan Tah (U19/gold)
2014: Julian Brandt (U18/gold); Levin Öztunali (U18/silver)
2013: Dominik Kohr (U19/bronze)
2012: Dominik Kohr (U18/bronze)
2010: Kolja Pusch (U17/bronze)
2008: Marcel Risse (U19/bronze); Richard Sukuta-Pasu (U18/bronze)
2007: Stefan Reinartz (U18/bronze); Nils Teixeira (U17/bronze)
Following the international break, the Bayer 04 women’s team face their next head-to-head clash in the race for a top spot in the Bundesliga. In Saturday’s home match (14:00 CEST), the fourth-placed side host third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. Head coach Roberto Pätzold is well aware of the great opportunity this presents for his team.
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Bayer 04 make their first trip to Poland for over 30 years as they face Lech Poznan on Matchday 2 of the league phase in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. The game kicks off at 18:45 CEST on Thursday, but the team will be preparing for the action on Wednesday with training, travel and pre-match press conferences. We’ll bring you all the latest news here…
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Bayer 04 remain unbeaten in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. After winning the opener against NK Celje, the Werkself followed that up on Thursday night with a 4–0 win away at the Polish champions Lech Poznan. Patrik Schick, who came on as a substitute early in the game, scored twice from the penalty spot, and Malik Tillman also found the back of the net before half-time. The second half was a more subdued affair, with Ibrahim Maza scoring late on to seal the final 4-0 scoreline.
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Since 2023, Bayer 04 has been organising regular free goalkeeping coach training sessions at the BayArena. As in previous years, the event attracted enormous interest in mid-October 2026. Around 140 participants – mostly goalkeeping coaches from the region, but also team and academy coaches as well as association staff – came to the Werkself stadium to gain expert knowledge on the subject of zonal marking. Through a theoretical keynote presentation and a practical session on the pitch, the participants gained insights into goalkeeping and goalkeeper training at Bayer 04.
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