Wirtz breaks his silence: why he turned down Bayern | OneFootball

Florian Wirtz has spoken at length for the first time about his decision on why he chose to join FC Liverpool instead of FC Bayern.

Wirtz made it clear in kicker that for him, it was primarily about the sporting challenge. "That was the point that convinced me the most. Just like five years ago, when I moved from Cologne to Leverkusen at the age of 16, I also looked this time to see where I can develop footballistically the best and where I can become the most successful player. That's why I decided on Liverpool - and so far, I haven't regretted it," he explained.

The 22-year-old emphasized that he had deliberately taken the more difficult path: "I've spent my whole life so far in the Cologne region, with my parents, with my closest circle. That's why it's the more difficult step to leave the entire environment and go to another country, with all the changes. And into a new league, which has a different style of play. I would therefore say that it is a greater challenge that I have consciously chosen to overcome and become a better player."

Wirtz: "Very intensively involved with both clubs"

In several media reports, it was stated that the conversations with Liverpool coach Arne Slot and with Vincent Kompany at Bayern had been the decisive factor. "The conversations with Arne were very, very good from the start. He convinced me from the first conversation. He gave me clear ideas and showed me a clear vision of how he can use me in his team and wants to deploy me. That convinced me - also in combination with the composition of the team - very much," said Wirtz. With that, he indicated that he was more drawn to Liverpool's perspective than to Bayern's options under Kompany.

When asked directly whether it had been the most difficult decision of his career to choose between Bayern and Liverpool, Wirtz replied: "I was very intensively involved with both clubs, it wasn't an easy decision in the end. But I made it with 100% conviction and I'm also happy about it."

When asked if he would have had to coordinate too much with Jamal Musiala at Bayern, Germany's Footballer of the Year replied: "You can't say that. I don't know exactly how it would have been."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.