Florian Wirtz’s difficult start to life in English football has attracted plenty of scrutiny.
Florian Wirtz’s difficult start to life in English football has attracted plenty of scrutiny, but the latest criticism has come from an unexpected and particularly pointed source.
The 23-year-old midfielder is now in his second season at Liverpool following his record-setting €125 million move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025.
His debut campaign produced seven goals and ten assists across 49 appearances, respectable numbers on paper but ones that consistently trailed the expectations attached to a player considered Germany’s brightest attacking prospect.
That underwhelming impression carried into this summer’s World Cup, where Wirtz featured throughout Germany’s campaign but managed zero goals and just two assists, contributing to an early tournament exit that left the entire squad facing tough questions.
Four games into the new Premier League season, the pattern has continued.
Wirtz has managed a single assist and no goals, and the pressure surrounding his Liverpool career shows little sign of easing.
That struggling form has now become fodder for one of the finest midfielders of the modern era.
Toni Kroos, discussing Germany’s upcoming international break on the Einfach Mal Luppen podcast he hosts with brother Felix, was challenged to name three uncapped players he would like to see included in Jurgen Klopp’s first squad since taking charge.
The rule was simple, the players named could not have featured at the World Cup.
Kroos’s answer was anything but simple. “Pavlovic, Wirtz, and Musiala,” he replied.
The problem, of course, was that all three had been very much part of Germany’s World Cup squad.
Felix, initially confused, asked what tournament his brother thought they had missed, before catching on to the sarcasm.
“Oh, you say that because they went unnoticed and it’s as if they weren’t there?”
The dig lands with particular sharpness given Wirtz’s underwhelming tournament, effectively suggesting his World Cup contribution was so forgettable it barely registered.
After delivering the punchline, Kroos moved on to naming his genuine picks, Tom Bischof, Lennart Karl, and Saïd El Mala, while Felix opted for Yann Bisseck, Grischa Prömmel, and Kevin Schade.
For Wirtz, the comments represent a notable shift in how he is being discussed within German football circles.
Once positioned as the heir apparent to Germany’s creative midfield lineage, he now finds himself the subject of jokes from one of the country’s most decorated former players.
With Jurgen Klopp preparing to name his first squad as Germany head coach, all eyes will be on whether Wirtz features and, if selected, whether he can finally deliver the kind of performance that silences the growing chorus of doubters both in England and back home.
Support DaveOCKOP and enjoy the site completely ad-free. You’ll get an uninterrupted browsing experience while helping us continue to deliver the latest Liverpool news, breaking stories and exclusives. Go ad-free today.