Florian Wirtz has left Liverpool fans surprised after revealing his idol was Joao Felix
Next season, you can anticipate seeing the name Florian Wirtz printed on the back of a lot of Liverpool supporters’ shirts. By signing the German attacker to Anfield for an estimated €150 million (£127 million), including add-ons, the Reds are breaking the British transfer record.
Liverpool FC’s Florian Wirtz reveals Joao Felix and Ousmane Dembele are his football idol
Florian Wirtz would be the third most expensive player in football history if the transfer were to reach that amount. As demonstrated by Joao Felix’s failure to live up to expectations after a £113 million move from Benfica to Atletico Madrid in 2019, this comes with a great deal of pressure to perform.
Many were shocked when Florian Wirtz claimed that after studying Felix’s style and becoming a comparable attacker, he looked up to him. The 22-year-old had revealed he grew up idolizing the Portuguese, who many had predicted would win a future Ballon d’Or.
In three separate clips, he had named Portugal star Joao Felix as his idol, with Wirtz explaining his decision in one video.
He said: ‘He’s a similar type of player to me, he’s very creative and I learnt that from him.’
Felix has meanwhile endured a difficult few years after initially breaking onto the scene at Benfica, with the 24-year-old struggling at Atletico Madrid since joining for £113million in 2019 and after falling out of favour with Diego Simeone, he has spent the past two seasons out on loan at Chelsea and Barcelona.
Given Felix’s struggles fans were left struggling to understand how the Portuguese attacker was his idol.
One said: ‘Bro is better than his idol,’ before another added: “Joao Felix should be learning from him.”
Florian Wirtz's football idol is João Felix! ⚡️🤝 pic.twitter.com/wXs1zF5EuV
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) April 21, 2024
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are frequently cited as childhood heroes by football players in Florian Wirtz’s age group. Over the previous ten and a half years, the renowned duo has dominated world football, competing on the Ballon d’Or stage during their rivalry.
The 31-cap Germany player does think highly of Messi. It’s difficult to overlook his eight Ballons d’Or and how his heroics at the 2022 World Cup won him over fans everywhere.
However, when asked by the Bundesliga’s media team about the first time a well-known person followed him on Instagram, he clarified why a fellow former Barcelona player who was only six years his senior was his idol.
🚨🎥 WATCH: Florian Wirtz named his idols:
– João Felix 🇵🇹
– Lionel Messi 🇦🇷
– Ousmane Dembele 🇲🇫
– Kai Havertz 🇩🇪
(@bayer04_en – TikTok)
pic.twitter.com/rYDHKGuPLz— Bᴀʀᴄ̧ᴀVᴇʀsᴇ (@BarcaVerse_) March 21, 2024
Two months prior to Ousmane Dembele leading Paris Saint-Germain to their first-ever UEFA Champions League championship, Wirtz made these remarks. This season, the French winger has finally lived up to expectations under Luis Enrique.
Prior to his 2024–25 exploits, Dembele’s career seemed to be going toward unrealized potential. In August 2017, he paid £135.5 million to join Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund, making him the fourth most expensive player in history.
A lot of people thought the Frenchman would succeed Messi and turn into a lucky charm at Camp Nou. Recurrent injury issues and off-field controversy prevented that from happening, which mostly resulted in a contentious £43.5 million move to Paris in 2023.
Dembele’s sluggish start in the French city raised questions about why he left Barcelona and whether he would ever convince his skeptics. After Kylian Mbappe left for Real Madrid, the Parisians needed him to step up, and he accomplished just that.
Wirtz is expected to join a Liverpool team full of elite players, including Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah. Perhaps no one is more eager than fellow countryman Jurgen Klopp to see how he performs at Anfield.