Former coach explains the incredibly RARE trait Florian Wirtz will bring to Liverpool | OneFootball

Florian Wirtz has an incredibly rare trait that separates him from the rest of the world.

It's been over five years since a fresh faced barely 17-year-old kid made his first appearance in the Bundesliga in front of an empty crowd.

Wirtz was one of the most exciting young players to come out of 'covid football.' He'd only arrived at Leverkusen a few months prior but already he had made a huge impression.

So much so that he wrote himself in the history books by becoming the youngest player to score a goal in the Bundesliga. He didn't score it against Hoffenheim or Augsburg either, he scored it against the champions, Bayern Munich, who would later lift the Champions League that season.

That pretty much announced Wirtz as the next big talent in the Bundesliga and the goals and the records kept coming.

He became the first player in the Bundesliga to score five goals before his 18th birthday and then he became the first teenager to score more than 10 goals in the Bundesliga.

By 18-years-old, he was playing for the senior German national team and attracting everyone's attention in the footballing world.

Including mine, which is why in 2021 I sought out Wirtz's former coach at Cologne, Markus Daun, who was actually employed by Bayer Leverkusen at the time.

Daun has worked closely with Wirtz during the formative years of the young man's career. He coached him during two separate stints and had formed a close bond not just with the player but his family as well.

You can read bits of my interview with Daun exclusively published on Anfield Watch by clicking here.

For me, there was one line that really struck me and has stayed with me ever since. It was Daun's response when I asked him what makes Wirtz's a special talent.

"He can think ahead, constantly evaluates the game in his mind while he is playing, and foresees the next 2-3 steps," Daun said.

This struck me because it's something that separates the world's best players from the rest. I remember reading Pele's autobiography and he often spoke about being able to anticipate what his opponents would do and why that sixth sense made him become one of the best to have ever played the game.

The fact that someone who worked so closely with Wirtz's recognised this innate trait in the Liverpool bound attacker from a young age is really exciting.

Wirtz truly is a one-of-a-kind talent. The likes of which only come around once in a generation.

There's every chance that the next Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi rivalry will be between him and Lamine Yamal.