DER SPIEGEL: Mr. Wirtz, you used to be your son’s coach in the town of Brauweiler, just west of Cologne. When did you first start thinking he might have what it takes to become a great player?
Wirtz: I’m not going to tell you. But seriously, the first inquiries from 1. FC Köln came when he was moving from Bambini (eds note: the level for children up to the age of seven) to U9. He caught the attention of 1. FC Köln, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach at our Bambini Christmas tournament. For practical reasons, we opted for a transfer to 1. FC Köln.
The article you are reading originally appeared in German in issue 30/2025 (July 18th, 2025) of DER SPIEGEL.
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DER SPIEGEL: How did things progress from there?
Wirtz: Over the next few years, we just enjoyed watching Florian’s development in training and in the games. But we never really thought much about him turning professional. It was only on the day after the German U17 championships, when Simon Rolfes from Bayer Leverkusen called at 8:00 a.m., that we thought: "Things are getting more serious.” At the same time, we had always tried not to look too far into the future or succumb to outside influences.
DER SPIEGEL: How so?
Wirtz: It’s distressing how players even under the age of 12 are already being fought over. I remember a youth tournament in Paderborn when a representative from a player agency accosted me and basically pulled me outside. I didn’t mince words and gave him a piece of my mind. He never approached me again.
DER SPIEGEL: You live in Brauweiler, far away from glitz and glamor. The place only has a population of 8,400, but it is home to a lot of athletes. Your son Florian is one of the best football players in the country, your daughter Juliane plays in the Bundesliga. Plus, one of Germany’s best handball players, Julain Köster, is from Brauweiler, and his brother also plays professionally.
Wirtz: Must be the water, as the old song about Cologne would have it. It is an old town in the Cologne suburbs, a place where a lot of families have moved, like the Kösters and ourselves. We don’t live too far away from each other and our children played handball and football. The sports facilities were easily reachable for everyone in town.
Hans-Joachim Wirtz on the training grounds of Grün-Weiß Brauweiler, of which he is the chair.
Hans-Joachim Wirtz on the training grounds of Grün-Weiß Brauweiler, of which he is the chair.
Foto: Ron Ullrich
DER SPIEGEL: Your wife apparently coached the Köster brothers, and your son received hand-me-downs from them.
Wirtz: Yeah, my wife was an 800-meter runner and played handball. In a town like ours, there is always a need for people to get involved as coaches. My wife was a handball coach, and I was the youth leader and a coach at the soccer club. We essentially spent our time as a family on the sports fields and on the handball court. And yeah, things were sometimes passed along to the younger ones.
DER SPIEGEL: You had five children from your first marriage, your wife had three. The two of you then had Florian and Juliane together. What is life like with 10 children? How do you go on vacation?
Wirtz: It’s all about improvisation. We had a VW bus and installed extra seats, and we would also rent a car when we needed to. We would drive to France and to the Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn; we needed a rooftop luggage rack. With so many kids, camping is all you can do, but they loved going every year. Florian still has friends from France that he met during these vacations, and they recently visited him here. At home, Florian and Juliane were usually with us, also for the five-on-five games in the living room, with Flocke, our dog, as the referee. I don’t know any more how we put up with it.
DER SPIEGEL: Is it true that the Wirtz family didn’t have a television?
Wirtz: Yes, it is. We didn’t need one. First of all, we didn’t have time because we were either on the field or on the road. And second, even today we aren’t particularly interested in TV, only occasionally watching a football match or the news. Back then, when there was a particularly important game on TV, we would go to the tennis clubhouse next to the sports field. The Italian proprietor would say: "Hey Florian, you’re going to play professionally one day!”
DER SPIEGEL: You and your wife have always been your son’s agents. And over the years, you have also opted for a controversial transfer in 2020, when Florian moved from Köln to Leverkusen, even though it violated an agreement the clubs had made with each other. The transfer made a lot of waves.
Wirtz: We have always been his parents first and foremost. We weren’t interested in the bickering between the clubs. Peter Bosz, who was the Leverkusen coach at the time, told us in a personal conversation that Florian would have the opportunity to train with the professionals. That wasn’t an option at 1. FC Köln. And all Florian wanted to do was train well and play well. And that is still true today.
Wirtz in mid-May prior to his final match for Bayer Leverkusen.
Wirtz in mid-May prior to his final match for Bayer Leverkusen.
Foto: Pau Barrena / Getty Images
DER SPIEGEL: Did you never consider bringing in a player agent?
Wirtz: Why? We meet with the people in the clubs and are thus able to get a feel for them. We then discuss it with Florian. If all three of us have the same impression, a decision can be made. It’s actually quite easy. An external voice who tries to talk you into something different isn’t necessary.
DER SPIEGEL: Agents would say that you don’t know the market and don’t have enough contacts …
Wirtz: … we have plenty of contacts by now.
DER SPIEGEL: … and that the clubs can take advantage of you.
Wirtz: I’d like to see proof of that. Who says that we don’t know what we’re doing? The people we talk to make us an offer, and we make a decision based on that. Sure, we also have to negotiate, but it’s always in Florian’s best interests and without all the back-and-forth.
DER SPIEGEL: That wasn’t always apparent during your son’s recent transfer to Liverpool. In December, the football magazine Kicker announced that he had extended his contract with Leverkusen.
Wirtz: We also have trouble understanding some of the media coverage. We always said that we could take things slowly because the contract wasn’t set to expire until 2027. But at the beginning of the year, we started getting the impression that Florian wanted to take a new step. We transparently communicated every step to Leverkusen. And they, too, behaved in a highly professional and loyal manner from the first day to the last.
Wirtz with the trophy after Bayer 04 Leverkusen won the Bundesliga championship in May 2024.
Wirtz with the trophy after Bayer 04 Leverkusen won the Bundesliga championship in May 2024.
Foto: Laci Perenyi / IMAGO
Fans of Bayer 04 Leverkusen storming the field after Wirtz scored to put their team up 5:0 in the decisive victory in winning the German Bundesliga championshipo.
Fans of Bayer 04 Leverkusen storming the field after Wirtz scored to put their team up 5:0 in the decisive victory in winning the German Bundesliga championshipo.
Foto: Mika Volkmann / IMAGO
DER SPIEGEL: Manchester City, Real Madrid, all of the big-name clubs were a possible destination. What clubs got in touch with you?
Wirtz: A lot of clubs were interested, but when things grew serious, it came down to a choice between Bayern or Liverpool.
DER SPIEGEL: It has been said that you met with Uli Hoeneß on several occasions. The tabloid Bild reported that your son had reached a deal with Bayern. Was your sympathy for Bayern interpreted as an agreement?
Wirtz: First of all, I don’t have the power to make any commitment because it is Florian who ultimately makes the decisions. And he hadn’t done so yet at the time. The situation with Bayern was a difficult one because Uli Hoeneß and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge invested such an incredible amount of energy and also clearly analyzed the opportunities from a sporting perspective. I have great respect for Uli Hoeneß and his life’s work. Following Florian’s ACL tear in 2022, he voluntarily helped us quickly get an appointment for surgery in Innsbruck. We are still grateful to him for that. That’s why the final phone call with Uli Hoeneß was so difficult for me.
DER SPIEGEL: How did he react?
Wirtz: We had spoken a number of times prior to that call, so he was just as professional and fair as I had always known him. But he was, of course, unable to hide his disappointment. After all, he had personally gone to great lengths to secure the transfer.
DER SPIEGEL: Your son decided to take on the challenge of going to Liverpool.
Wirtz: Look, young people also have to take confident steps forward. I remember when I completed a locksmith apprenticeship in the Eifel region and then joined the border protection agency. A short time later, I moved from Kassel to Bonn to complete my high school degree so I could study at the Sport University. What I’m trying to say is: Florian had this feeling, and we understood and completely supported it.
DER SPIEGEL: The three of you flew to England on May 13. Is it true that the discussion with Liverpool’s coach, Arne Slot, was the deciding factor?
Wirtz: That’s fair to say. Arne Slot was able to convince Florian from a sporting perspective. Plus, he is an extremely nice guy. Florian’s best coaches have always been those who have given him plenty of freedom. And those with a great deal of kindness have also always been able to establish a bond with Florian. He finds the game in England interesting because it thrives on tempo and dynamism. Arne Slot presented his philosophy – his tactical ideas with the ball and pressing – and how Florian can exploit his strengths in these situations. It made a crucial impression on Florian. The training facilities in Liverpool were also extremely impressive. Plus, Florian is at the perfect age to move abroad. Later, with a family, you are no longer quite as independent.
DER SPIEGEL: The Munich daily Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that on the following Sunday, May 18, during the celebrations of Bayern’s Bundesliga championship, a secret meeting took place in Munich involving all of Bayern’s top brass. Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany was unable to change your son’s mind.
Wirtz: Vincent Kompany also had excellent thoughts and ideas for how he intended to integrate Florian into the FC Bayern team. Ultimately, it was nuances; in the end, the decision had to do with the different circumstances and Florian’s role. Financially, there wasn’t a big difference between the two clubs anyway. Once again: Bayern Munich made a huge effort, but a decision had to be made.
DER SPIEGEL: And how was it made?
Wirtz: We gave ourselves a deadline of the following Thursday. All three of us had the same impression and made the decision in favor of Liverpool together. Florian saw the move abroad as a new personal and athletic challenge, which is why he chose Liverpool. We shared his view.
DER SPIEGEL: Your son became the most expensive German player ever. The English media spoke of 136-million-euro transfer fee while German outlets reported more than 140 million euros. There was also speculation about his salary.
Wirtz: You’ll have to ask the clubs about the transfer fee. I cannot provide any contractual details.
Wirtz wearing a Liverpool shirt on the occasion of the signing of his contract on June 20 in Kirkby.
Wirtz wearing a Liverpool shirt on the occasion of the signing of his contract on June 20 in Kirkby.
Foto: Liverpool FC / Getty Images
DER SPIEGEL: Your son signed the contract with Liverpool on June 20. The media coverage was intense, and television cameras were waiting at the airport. What were those days like for you?
Wirtz: Not all that intense at all. As the chairman of the club in town, Grün-Weiß Brauweiler, I had a lot to do, and my wife is a family support worker. Plus, Florian was on vacation in Greece and we were looking after his dog. The only thing we did: We had a nice bottle of bubbly in the refrigerator that someone had given us. We opened it at the kitchen table once we had returned from Liverpool.
DER SPIEGEL: Are you going to be moving as well?
Wirtz: Why should we? My wife is still working and I’m involved in the club; we’re currently fighting for approval to build our new clubhouse. We like it here. We know the neighbors, and the sport fields are close by.
DER SPIEGEL: When was the last time your son was in town?
Wirtz: A few days ago. He did his individual summer training sessions at Grün-Weiß Brauweiler. It’s not usually that easy to get on the field, but he knows the club chairman quite well.
DER SPIEGEL: Mr. Wirtz, thank you very much for this interview.