Wirtz had grown up in a family that refused to compromise his development, nor that of his sister Juliane, who plays for Werder Bremen. His father Hans remains the chairman of Grun-Weiss Brauweiler, Wirtz's childhood was framed around the local football team. He grew up with a ball attached to his feet.

The Germany international, who scored in the Nations League in midweek, is expected to complete his move to Liverpool in the coming weeks, but an unexpected snag has emerged

Florian Wirtz's impending move to Liverpool looks set to be at the centre of a dispute between Bayer Leverkusen and Koln following comments from Koln president Werner Wolf