On 26 November 2015, Julian Draxler received an unexpected message on his phone. Draxler had won the FIFA World Cup with Germany in 2014. One year later, his former youth coach Marc Dommer was getting in touch.

Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso initially rested his star player, but sent Wirtz on for the last half-hour with the score 1-1. The 21-year-old Wirtz duly whipped in a brilliant cross for Patrik Schick to score the winner with his chest in the 71st minute.

A s Bayer Leverkusen look to secure a top-eight finish in the league phase of Champions League play, it only took eight minutes for 21-year-old Folarin Wirtz to turn Tuesday's mat

Florian Wirtz again made the difference for Bayer Leverkusen in a 2-1 win at Union Berlin in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

The latest Florian Wirtz gala was good and bad news at the same time for Bayer Leverkusen who despite a contract until 2027 are not assured yet whether they can keep their biggest asset beyond the season.