Bayer Leverkusen is arguably the best team in Europe right now. They are on the cusp of demolishing the dominance of the mighty Bayern Munich. Through their revolutionary tactical system which focuses on using wing-backs as primary creators, they beat the bullish Bavarians on the 10th of February and placed themselves at the peak of the points table. They embody modern football with their structural positional play and immense focus on tactical brilliance to outmaneuver their opposition. However, within this immense structure and organization, there is one player, one free electron who uses his dynamic ability and unpredictability to turn the tide of any match and make his team flow, who lacks structure within the structure itself. He personifies the dying number 10 position. That player is Florian Wirtz.
The Germany international isn’t a player who likes to stick to his position. You can often see him strutting gracefully across the field, always scanning, always ready to receive the ball and play the pass that dissects the defense. He’s a free spirit of sorts, a vagabond, in a Leverkusen side characterized by its structure. Wirtz uses his immense acumen to make his way out of tight spaces. His technical ability can be compared to players such as David Silva or other youngsters such as Pedri. It’s almost frightening how similar Wirtz is to the great Lionel Messi himself when he’s dropping between the lines and turning to switch the play. His 23-24 season has been remarkable and he has been instrumental in Leverkusen’s road to the top.
A Rocky Start
Wirtz’s career hasn’t been easy, to say the least. He burst onto the scene in the 2020-2021 season after he broke into Leverkusen’s first team. The prodigy penned the first tale in his epic by scoring his first goal against the mighty Bayern Munich too. That goal was vintage Wirtz, he got the ball inside the box, feinted right, cut onto his left, and shot the ball with finesse, beating Manuel Neuer as the ball sailed into the net. He was dubbed the next Kai Havertz, however that is hardly a fair comparison. Wirtz’s player profile is much different from Havertz’s. The young German looked set for great things when disaster struck. In the 2021-22 season, in a game against Cologne in mid-March, the Leverkusen academy product sustained an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Tear and was sidelined for almost a year. For most young players, that’s the end of their dream. But for Florian Wirtz, it was only an obstacle to be overcome, and the way he overcame his injury is most impressive.
Resurgence
Wirtz returned in the 2022-2023 season when Leverkusen were struggling, they were firmly entrenched in the relegation zone, 17th place in the Bundesliga when Xabi Alonso became manager. However, with the new manager and the return of their Wunderkind, Leverkusen climbed their way to 6th place and a Europa League semi-final by the end of the season. A truly special feat and a big sign of things to come.
Rejuvenation
In this past year, The young German has established himself as not only one of the best young players in the world but as one of the best players in the world. He looks set to win the Bundesliga MVP ahead of Harry Kane and Leverkusen has set their sights on the Meisterschale. His unique free-roam position has allowed Leverkusen to wreak havoc on teams across Europe, from Bochum in Westfalen to Qarabag in Azerbaijan. His set of abilities is truly remarkable. He is a pure playmaker, a true virtuoso of the football field. Xabi Alonso knows that a player like Wirtz can’t be set to any particular position, he needs the freedom to create chances for his teammates and turn the game on its head. He has used this creative freedom to express his footballing intelligence and ability in an unbridled fashion. He has 11 goals and 17 assists in all competitions in 36 games—amazing numbers for a teenager who operates all over the arena.
The Wirtz Effect
Wirtz is described best by the term ‘Free Electron’. The football channel, positional play gave this analogy. A free electron is a dynamic semiconductor that moves freely within a structure. It moves between the framework of atoms and molecules as Wirtz moves between the lines to find pockets of space and link up with teammates. A free electron makes the material conductive similar to how the whizz-kid wirtz makes his team flow with his creativity and football intelligence. Wirtz is unpredictable and constantly in motion, never static, similar to a free electron. Suppose the free electron is trapped or squeezed in a particular position. In that case, it uses its movement and tunnels to a different position or to another energy state, analogous to how this young genius shifts outside tight spaces using his incredible technical footwork and switches the play. Wirtz does an incredible job of disrupting the opposition’s defensive structure through his lack of structure, this ability has done wonders for Leverkusen this season and made him one of the hottest commodities in Europe.
What The Future Holds
Florian Wirtz and Bayer Leverkusen look set to create history this season. Leverkusen looks to break Bayern’s dominance in German football and maybe, just maybe, begin a new dynasty. Leverkusen has a constellation of stars, from the manager Xabi Alonso to players such as Jeremiah Frimpong and Alex Grimaldo, but in this constellation of stars, is there any that shines as bright as Florian Wirtz? And what comes next for the young superstar as he makes his way through the vast expanse?
