Florian Wirtz becomes youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history at 17 years and 34 days.
Florian Wirtz became the youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history when he steered in his first goal for Bayer Leverkusen at the age of 17 years and 34 days.
Wirtz beat the previous record, set by Nuri Sahin when he was 17 and 82 days in November 2005, with Leverkusen's second goal in a 4-2 defeat to Bayern Munich on Matchday 30.
A half-time substitute, and making only his fourth Bundesliga appearance having recently dislodged Kai Havertz as Leverkusen's youngest-ever debutant at the age of 17 years and 16 days, Wirtz struck a goal he will not forget in a hurry.
He left Bayern defender Lucas Hernandez for dead before curling a left-footed effort past Bayern and Germany's No.1 Manuel Neuer for a moment of personal joy in an otherwise disappointing afternoon for Die Werkself.
While many more goals are expected to follow in Wirtz's precocious career, he has set a very high bar with his record-breaking debut strike.
Leverkusen coach Peter Bosz sung Wirtz's praises after giving him his bow against Bremen in May 2020. "He was important to us, that’s why I'm making an exception to speak about one player specifically," Bosz said.
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"He played well right from the off, kept the ball well and pushed forward well too. It's always something special when you make a debut, especially when you're 17. All in all, it was a good performance by him, he wasn't nervous."
Wirtz's Leverkusen teammates Aleksandar Dragovic and Julian Baumgartlinger also waxed lyrical about the teenager after his opening Bundesliga goal.
Watch: Baumgartlinger and Dragovic sing Wirtz's praises
"The lad has a lot of potential and if he keeps his feet on the ground, he could be another Kai Havertz," said Dragovic.
"He showed from the first day that he has special qualities, although he's a young player, and that's what he did today when he came on," Baumgartlinger told bundesliga.com.
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