Host Germany took just 10 minutes to score in the Euro 2024 opener against Scotland, as its youngster Florian Wirtz struck in the 10th minute, at the Allianz Arena, in Munich on Friday.
Wirtz got the ball from Joshua Kimmich and made no mistake to put it past Angus Gunn, prompting a huge cheer from the thousands of home fans in the stadium.
With the goal, he became the youngest German player to score in the European championships, at 21 years and 42 days, breaking the record of Kai Havertz, who had done so at 22 years and eight days.
WHO IS FLORIAN WIRTZ?
Wirtz, who plays usually as an attacking midfielder or a winger, started his professional football career in the youth team of FC Cologne, where he spent a decade before moving to Bayer Leverkusen in 2020.
He made his professional debut for the club in May that year, breaking a record set by Kai Havertz, to become the club’s youngest player in the Bundesliga. Though he continued to impress for Leverkusen, injury woes stifled his consistency, as he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a match against his former club, missing the 2021-22 season.
As he failed to recuperate in time for the FIFA World Cup, he could not feature in the German squad for Qatar 2022 despite head coach Hansi Flick’s interest to include him.
His moment in the sun arrived under Xabi Alonso at Leverkusen, when he scored a hat-trick against Werder Bremen, securing his club’s maiden Bundesliga title in the 2023-24 season. With 18 goals and 20 assists in all competitions for the club, he was awarded the Bundesliga Player of the Season for the campaign.
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