Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz spoke about eventually stepping out of his comfort zone in his career.
Wirtz was born just outside of Köln, and during his young career, he has only played for 1.FC Köln and Bayer Leverkusen, which are based in a town just outside the Domstadt. This could be considered staying in his ‘comfort zone’, when asked if he would look to leave his comfort zone soon, he said:
“I’m pretty lucky that I have so many excellent clubs right on my doorstep and that I can now play for one of the best clubs in Germany and Europe. I have a lot of respect for the lads here in Leverkusen who come from South America or Africa, for example, and leave their families and surroundings behind for their careers. It definitely appeals to me to leave my comfort zone at some point and experience something new. I know football locker rooms well enough and I’m convinced that I would quickly settle in wherever I go.”
This is also linked to his future. Where the 22-year-old will play in the future is one of the hottest topics in German media at the moment, with everyone chipping in. However, Wirtz is not fazed by any of this
“I keep seeing posts about me on social media. Every now and then, I have to laugh when people write about where I’m supposedly playing next season. Nobody but me can know that. That’s why I don’t pay any attention to such news and deal with them in a pretty chill way.”
Despite Leverkusen coming up short in the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal, Wirtz has had a good season, scoring 10 and assisting 10 in 29 Bundesliga games this season. This is particularly impressive, taking into account that the 22-year-old did miss a good chunk of the second half of the season with an injury.
This summer will be a monumental one for Leverkusen as they will likely have to replace head coach Xabi Alonso, and losing Wirtz would be another major blow for die Werkself.
