As Bayer Leverkusen look to secure a top-eight finish in the league phase of Champions League play, it only took eight minutes for 21-year-old Folarin Wirtz to turn Tuesday’s match with RB Salzburg on its head. Wirtz scored from the penalty spot before then winning a free kick that Alejandro Grimaldo drove home for a 2-0 advantage in what would go on to be a 5-0 win. Wirtz wouldn’t have to wait long to to secure a brace with a lovely run and finish in the 30th minute for his fifth goal in UCL play this season.
A top-eight finish is critical for Leverkusen to advance directly to the round of 16 and Wirtz is doing all he can to push for that while putting together one of the best seasons that a player 21 years old or younger has had in UCL play since 2019. Erling Haaland has been the class of young players finding the back of the net in Champions League scoring 10 goals twice for Borussia Dortmund before turning 22 but Wirtz has the third-best number for a young player alongside names like Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo.
Young players are making it to stardom faster with guys like Lamine Yamal at 17 but that can’t take anything away from Wirtz’s exploits. Most of the players who have scored at this rate ply their trade further up the pitch than Wirtz as well while the German also takes the creative reigns for Leverkusen. He added an assist against RB Salzburg for his first of UCL play. This is all to go along with four goals and three assists in the Bundesliga.
After being integral to Leverkusen winning their first Bundesliga title last season with 18 goals and 20 assists in 49 appearances, the young midfielder has taken a step forward this season despite defenses focusing more on stopping him. It’s a step forward that has Wirtz on the radar of teams around the world like Bayern Munich but there’s quite a bit of work to do at Leverkusen first.
The one trophy that Leverkusen didn’t secure during their illustrious season was a European title and despite their lopsided loss to Liverpool during the league phase of this UCL campaign last time out, this is a team that can cause a stir in later rounds. If Leverkusen can secure a berth to the round of 16 via a top-eight finish, it will be important to avoid being upset and that’s when this is anyone’s tournament.
The struggling of standard powers like Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester City has created a power vacuum that budding European teams like Leverkusen and Atalanta can exploit in later rounds. Wirtz is doing everything that he can to ensure that Levekusen are there when the dust settles.
