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On Thursday, he joined his Reds' teammates, Mohammed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Alexis Mac Allister on the 30-man 2025 Ballon d'Or shortlist.

Wirtz was named the league's Player of the Season in a vote via Kicker (Harry Kane captured the official award) and was named to his third Bundesliga Team of the Season in his remarkable short career.



The mercurial midfielder produced 22 goal involvements across 25 league starts, coming just a year after he recovered from an ACL injury.

Some of his numbers underneath the hood slightly dropped from a prodigal 2023/24 campaign where Bayer Leverkusen shocked the footballing establishment and finished the league campaign as unbeaten champions.

That year, Wirtz produced a tidy 0.60 non-penalty xG+xA per 90 minutes, one of the best marks for a non-out-and-out forward in a top European league

Mohamed Salah and Wirtz are both in contention for the 2025 Ballon d'Or

Per FBRef, the German playmaker excelled int passes completed (51.22 per 90, 99th percentile), expected assists (0.34, 94th), key passes (2.37, 88th), through balls (0.98, 98th), shot-creating actions (0.87, 96th), carries (45.81, 97th), and passes received (61.26, 99th).

Wirtz, who scored a further six goals in the Champions League, is still unlikely to challenge the likes of Salah, who scored 29 goals in the Premier League.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot was named to the Ballon d'Or's Manager of the Year shortlist after leading the Reds to a Premier League campaign in his maiden English campaign