Leverkusen on the upswing: Wirtz leads the team to success!

Leverkusen on the upswing: Wirtz leads the team to success!

On December 31, 2024, the Bundesliga is in the winter break. The second half of the competition starts on January 10, and the clubs are required to prepare optimally for the restart. The last game of Bayer 04 Leverkusen this year took place on December 21st against SC Freiburg, in which the team went 5-1 as the winner. Leverkusen was able to record eight victories in a row before the break and, after an initial cautious start, improved back to the second position in the Bundesliga.

In the remarkable game against Freiburg, Florian Wirtz was the outstanding player who scored a goal and prepared three more goals. Trainer Xabi Alonso and the national player Lothar Matthäus praised Wirtz for his performance; Matthew even compared him to Lionel Messi. Despite a missed shot on a penalty that the Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu held, Wirtz remained active and had a great influence on the game. Captain Lukas Hradecky commented that Wirtz was "sour" after his false shot, which is a big challenge for the opponents.

value estimate and contract status

Patrik Schick also expressed a positive comment on Wirtz and described it as a "dream" of having such a player behind him. In the past few weeks there has also been confusion about a possible contract extension of Wirtz, which was denied by those responsible for Bayer Leverkusen. Sports director Simon Rolfes and managing director Fernando Carro confirmed that Wirtz should remain in Leverkusen by the 2026 World Cup.

Currently Bayer Leverkusen is in the Bundesliga table with just four points behind FC Bayern and is therefore the first pursuer. The team recently achieved eight competitive victories in a row, with the only draw against VfL Bochum. Coach Xabi Alonso nevertheless warned to modesty and emphasized that it was still too early to talk about a possible title fight.