👑 More legends than in a museum: Swiss show lifts Wirtz to Germany greats! | OneFootball

What on earth was that performance from Florian Wirtz yesterday?! The Liverpool FC superstar practically led the German national team to a 4-3 win over Switzerland all by himself with two goals and two assists.

TV pundit Lothar Matthäus then gave Wirtz “an A+ with a gold star,” while DFB sporting director Rudi Völler called him a “little magician with the ball.” And teammate Jonathan Tah was full of praise as well: “It’s always fascinating how he just produces magic on the pitch, with how much ease he plays.”

The playmaker himself was clearly delighted with his gala performance. “I’ve never had four goal contributions in a single game before,” he said happily.

But Wirtz is by no means alone in that. Even the very biggest stars in world football rarely manage four goal contributions in one match. In a Germany shirt, only eleven players have done it since the turn of the millennium. And let’s just put it this way: since last night, Wirtz has been in absolutely elite company!

Oliver Bierhoff (2002 against Kuwait)

Without question, his greatest hour in a Germany shirt was the Euro 1996 final. But even six years later, Oliver Bierhoff still had it. In a friendly against Kuwait, the future team manager produced three goals and one assist.

Michael Ballack (2004 against Malta)

Of course, “Capitano” cannot be left off this list. In 2004, Michael Ballack tore apart helpless Malta and casually scored four goals — as a midfielder, no less!

Kevin Kurányi (2004 against Thailand)

Half a year later, Kevin Kurányi also caught fire. Away in Thailand, the sometimes temperamental star striker was unstoppable and finished with two goals and two assists.

Lukas Podolski (2005, 2006, 2014 against South Africa, San Marino and Armenia)

Lukas Podolski is the undisputed king of Germany’s four-goal-contribution games! The Cologne icon drove opposing teams to despair with his output on no fewer than three occasions. His victims were South Africa, San Marino and Armenia.

Bastian Schweinsteiger (2006 against San Marino)

In September 2006, Germany recorded one of the biggest wins in its history with a 13-0 victory over San Marino. Alongside Podolski, his buddy Bastian Schweinsteiger also had four goal contributions. His return: two goals and two assists.

Bernd Schneider (2006 against San Marino)

Bernd Schneider also hit top form on that very day. “Schnix,” or, alternatively, “the White Brazilian,” notched up three assists as well as a goal of his own.

📸 OLIVER LANG - 2006 AFP

Torsten Frings (2007 against San Marino)

A few months later, Germany faced San Marino again in the return qualifier. This time, the match ended “only” 6-0. Torsten Frings, a defensive player, was involved in no fewer than four of those goals. He scored once and provided three assists.

Mario Gomez (2009 against the UAE)

In his prime, almost nobody could stop Mario Gomez. That was especially true for the unfortunate defenders of the United Arab Emirates, against whom the clinical striker bagged four goals in 2009.

Andre Schürrle (2015 against Gibraltar)

A Germany side without Andre Schürrle was almost unthinkable in the mid-2010s. The same went for the emphatic 7-0 win over Gibraltar, when the World Cup hero scored three times in the summer of 2015 and also set up another.

Marco Reus (2021 against Liechtenstein)

Overall, Marco Reus did not have the happiest international career. But in a World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein in 2021, everything finally came together: one goal and three assists is more than respectable!

Jamal Musiala (2024 against Hungary)

The last Germany star to pull off this feat before Wirtz was Jamal Musiala. In the first meeting after Euro 2024 on home soil, the Bayern star really turned it on and produced one goal and three assists against Hungary.

What stands out is that Germany’s stars have mostly reached four goal contributions against supposedly smaller footballing nations. That makes Wirtz’s masterclass against a strong Switzerland side last night all the more special! Or what do you think? Let us know in the comments!

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

📸 FABRICE COFFRINI - AFP or licensors