Wirtz on Liverpool, Salah’s Nudge, and Messi as His Idol
9 March 2026
The Move to Liverpool
The German star Florian Wirtz opened up about his upcoming move to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen this summer.
Liverpool were the first club to approach him, and the talks came with a full, 100% commitment, making the decision feel right.
He added that Liverpool were also keen on another player; they used to sit near each other at the club and spoke almost daily about how things were going and how great it would be to go together.
He noted that Mohamed Salah was always trying to talk to him; Salah had arrived at Liverpool as a youngster in a major move and did his best to put him at ease.
He concluded: "Messi has always been my idol in football... he was the best player of my generation, perhaps the greatest ever. But in life, my family has been my true idol."
Punchline: If Wirtz signs, Klopp will finally have a midfield professor with a sense of humor.
Punchline: And if Messi is his idol, at least the football will be starstruck by the GOAT’s influence.
Influences and Family
Messi has long been cited as his football idol, but Wirtz also stresses that family has been his true guiding force in life.
These influences help explain the balance he plans to bring to his career at Liverpool and beyond.
