Liverpool's Florian Wirtz Named Germany Footballer of Year

Florian Wirtz, Liverpool's club-record signing, has been named Germany's Footballer of the Year for 2024/25, receiving 191 votes from German sports journalists, far ahead of Bayern Munich's Michael Olise. The 22-year-old midfielder joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen after a remarkable season where he helped Leverkusen win their first-ever Bundesliga title and German Cup without losing a domestic game. Wirtz was also Bundesliga Player of the Year and nominated for the Ballon d’Or, accumulating 57 goals and 65 assists in 197 appearances for Leverkusen. His move to Liverpool, costing a potential total of £116 million, is seen as a step to ease the offensive load on Mohamed Salah and help Liverpool defend their Premier League title and advance in the Champions League. Wirtz expressed his ambition to win titles annually and acknowledged the collective effort behind his individual success. Additionally, Julian Schuster was named Coach of the Year for leading Freiburg to Europa League qualification in his first season as head coach.