Florian Wirtz interview: Settling in at Liverpool, aiming high in the Champions League and the importance of self-belief
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
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Florian Wirtz stresses the importance of self-belief as he reflects on his time at Liverpool so far and looks ahead in the UEFA Champions League.
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"I am the type of person who likes to take on the biggest challenges," says Florian Wirtz as he sits down with UEFA to discuss his Liverpool move and his Champions League ambitions.
Another of those big challenges awaits the Reds as they look to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Galatasaray.
Florian Wirtz on Liverpool
It’s definitely a cool city. It’s not too big. The people are really nice here, always very friendly. It really comes from the heart. The people here are also crazy about football.
I know [The Beatles] are from here of course, but they were a bit before my time and not quite my style of music, but it’s cool that the city has such a great history and that such great musicians are from here and connected to the city.
On moving abroad at age 22
I am the type of person who likes to take on the biggest challenges and that’s what I did in the summer, especially as I am so far away from home and in a completely new environment and a completely new footballing environment – new league, new team-mates, new club. It’s fun to come in every day, learn something new and keep developing.
On his team-mates
It was cool that I came with Jeremie [Frimpong] directly from Leverkusen. We’ve known each other for a long time and sat next to each other in the dressing room at Leverkusen, so he’s my closest friend here. But I’ve been welcomed with open arms by a lot of people here.
We have a cool and young team with a few experienced players too. It’s always fun when you come here with the lads from France, the Netherlands, England and wherever else they come from and have fun together. Of course, this includes the more experienced players who lead the group.
On what he has learned since moving to Anfield
What I learned most was that you shouldn’t doubt yourself, but that you have to believe in yourself and think about your strengths and just have a positive mindset that everything will be fine in the end and that you can rely on yourself.
The biggest thing I had to work on was my overall fitness level in terms of physicality and the amount of running on the pitch, simply getting the intensity for 90 minutes on the pitch. All of us who joined this season, especially those from the Bundesliga like Hugo [Ekitiké] and Jerry [Frimpong], realised that we had to step it up a notch and work even harder to reach the level that is required here in every game.
On Liverpool's Champions League ambitions
I won’t lie: I think everyone in the team would like to win the Champions League this year. And Champions League nights are always special, especially at our stadium. I think we have a good home advantage and a good energy in the stadium, which definitely helps us and which our opponents have to manage to deal with first. That’s why I’m definitely looking forward to some really exciting games now.