Florian Wirtz: Liverpool’s attacking midfielder in his own words

Kelly: What does the perfect day off look like? How do you like to escape from football?

Florian: Since the summer I love playing padel. I’ve gone a few times with some of the guys here.

Kelly: Who plays for Liverpool?

Florian: Dominic [Szoboszlai]Milos [Kerkez]…Jeremy [Frimpong] He says it’s good but I haven’t seen it.

Kelly: Are you good?

Florian: I’m not feeling well. If you ask others, I’m better than Jeremy. He definitely knows I’m better than him!

Kelly: What do you like to do?

Florian: I like to have a nice breakfast. I love breakfast – scrambled eggs, pancakes… I can eat a lot. My nutritionist is very happy with me because I get a lot of fuel for the games.

Kelly: So, have breakfast and play padel… anything else?

Florian: Maybe just relax… play PlayStation. I have a dog too – Zoomer… but it’s not yet Paw Patrol. Everyone asks me about that.

Kelly: What was it called then?

Florian: Just random.

Kelly: How were you when you were young? What kind of child was Florian Wirtz?

Florian: My parents always said I was very shy and always hid behind my sisters. I was one of 10 people. I am the youngest.

Kelly: What was that like growing up?

Florian: To be honest, it’s not that bad because everyone cares about you…you’re the youngest. When my parents wanted to go out, they could come and take care of me. It’s nice to have a lot of loved ones on birthdays and Christmas.

Kelly: I was told that you are not the only footballer among your brothers…

Florian: my sister [Juliane] He plays for Werder Bremen. She also played for Brauiller, Cologne and Leverkusen. We played for three clubs at the same time.

Kelly: How was that for you?

Florian: It was nice because sometimes we could drive together to train. I’m very proud of her – she’s doing a good job. I’m happy for her because she’s having a very good season with her team.

Kelly: You’re not in the same club now or even in the same country… Do you still talk about football and watch each other’s matches?

Florian: My sister always wishes me good luck in games and calls or texts me. I always try to watch her matches if I can. It’s good that we have the same ambitions and the same way of thinking about football. I’m glad she’s a footballer, so we have something in common which is nice.

Kelly: If you could only achieve one thing in your career, what would it be?

Florian: World champion.

Kelly: World Cup this summer?

Florian: It will be difficult, but let’s see. We all go there to win it. It will be difficult but hopefully we can go far.