'I will': Liverpool player predicted he will one day be the best in the world when he was just a kid

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Florian Wirtz has not hit the ground running since joining Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen.The German midfielder has been touted as one of the world’s best players by many across football following his incredible seasons in the Bundesliga, winning the title with Leverkusen.However, Wirtz has so far struggled to adapt fully to the Premier League, with the physicality of the game catching him off guard in many of his appearances.There are signs that the player has had an impact on the team, with statistics showing that he has actually created the joint most chances in all competitions out of players who play in the league.So it does show that maybe fans are too harsh on the player because of his £116 million price tag, which can hurt many players.Photo by BURAK BASTURK/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty ImagesFlorian Wirtz predicted he would be best player in the world when he was youngerBut one thing about the young star is his unshakeable confidence, which will definitely see him through this rocky period at Liverpool while the team is still figuring out how to play with one another.It is something that has been known about the midfielder ever since he started football and has not stopped, including when he was a part of the under-17 set-up in Germany.READ MORE: Liverpool fans given proof that Florian Wirtz’s underwhelming start is not his faultHis former coach during his time as a youth player at FC Köln, Markus Daun, spoke recently about a conversation he had with the talent when he was competing for the German championship.In this Sky Sports video package, where the German’s nearest and dearest spoke about his journey, Daun revealed a conversation about the team’s career goals, what Wirtz said in comparison to his other teammates one season.He said: “I asked him in a meeting about his career goals. All the guys from the team said, ‘Oh, I will be German Championship winner this year and I will be in the starting XI.’ And Florian said, ‘I will win the Ballon d’Or in the future.Wirtz chimed in: “I was saying this every day when I was younger.”Daun continued: “I said okay.

Normally, I would say okay, please stay realistic, but in this case, I said okay, go your way, and you can achieve it. This guy has had big challenges in his life, also from a very young age, to the under-17s with big injuries.“He broke his leg, but he comes back much stronger than before, and that’s because of his focus and his mentality.

I knew from the beginning that he would go his way until the top of the world.”Liverpool fans should not be too worried about Florian WirtzIt is difficult to see past a record fee like Wirtz’s for any player, but what it should be seen as is an investment in a young talent who still needs time to improve.Everything he did at Leverkusen was because of his familiarity with German football’s pace and physicality, so all he needs to do is become used to this set-up.READ MORE: Florian Wirtz given support by Bayer Leverkusen during tough start to life at LiverpoolWhat has definitely not helped is the fact that the whole team has not become familiar with each other as quickly as hoped or expected, meaning there is pressure on him to perform.While he may not start the Chelsea game, it could be a great opportunity to make an impact off the bench, but with another international break coming up, it does derail his progress further.