Florian Wirtz, a teenage midfielder for Bayer Leverkusen, has revealed that he grew up idolizing Lionel Messi and that he had posters of the former Barcelona captain up in his room alongside Ousmane Dembele and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Wirtz, who is 18 years old, has sparked a lot of interest with his thrilling performances in the German Bundesliga and Europa League.
In 30 games in all competitions, the versatile midfielder, who has played in three different positions, has ten goals and 16 assists. His reappearance was likely to draw a lot of interest, and the market didn't let him down.
Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona are just a handful of the teams that are keeping track, as Fabrizio Romano wrote earlier this month.
He told Sky Germany, "I actually had a couple posters hanging in the room."
"Take Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembele, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, for instance. Messi's Argentina was, nevertheless, my first jersey. He was the top player when I was a kid. Nobody can play as well as he can," he added.
It's not the first time Wirtz has praised Barcelona, or more specifically, the Barcelona players. He officially acknowledged in January 2021 that he dreamed of playing for Barcelona as a kid, and that dream hasn't died since.
With a contract that runs through 2026, the 18-year-old is anticipated to stay with Bayer, as fans are eager to see how his talents develop over the following few years.
"I strive to be the best in all I do." I wanted to play for Barcelona since I was a child. That hasn't changed, but it can wait," he'd previously stated.