Florian Wirtz

Wirtz joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for around $133 million in summer 2025, arriving with heavy expectation, but his first English season was inconsistent — he found it hard to impose himself in Liverpool's biggest matches.

At the World Cup he assisted Germany's opening goal in a 7-1 win over Curacao, played the full match as they beat Ivory Coast 2-1 to reach the knockouts, and set up another goal in a 2-1 group-finale loss to Ecuador — two assists across the group stage.

Wirtz is an attacking midfielder built on close control, quick combination play and vision in the final third — a creator first, whose signature is the disguised pass or cutback that unlocks a defense rather than a shot from distance.

His struggles at Liverpool were partly tactical: adapting from Leverkusen's structured system to a Premier League that demands more physical directness took time to click.

Germany's World Cup ended in a first-ever penalty shootout defeat for the four-time champions, beaten 4-3 on spot kicks by Paraguay after a 1-1 draw — Wirtz set up Kai Havertz's equalizer in that match.

Wirtz enters his second Liverpool season under continued scrutiny to deliver on his fee, with his World Cup performances offering some evidence his end product travels internationally even where his club form lagged.