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A large chunk of recent footballing prodigies have grown up idolizing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The two legends have maintained a complete duopoly over the footballing world for almost two decades and continue to astonish with their jaw-dropping performances even today.
In a recent interview, German youngster Florian Wirtz, who is part of Die Mannschaft's Euro 2024 squad, named Messi when asked about his favorite athlete of all time.
"My favorite athlete was a football player, because I always enjoyed football. It was Lionel Messi," the Bayer Leverkusen star said (via All About Argentina).
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Wirtz enjoyed a superb 2023-24 season with Bayer Leverkusen, who won the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. The 21-year-old, who registered 18 goals and 20 assists in 49 appearances across competitions, has scored once in three Euro 2024 games.
"Florian Wirtz is like Messi!" - When Xabi Alonso compared the German prodigy to Lionel Messi
Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso didn't hesitate before comparing Florian Wirtz's playmaking abilities with Lionel Messi's.
In September 2023, Alonso dissected the playing style of Wirtz and likened it to that of Messi. According to the Spaniard, the Argentina legend is the smartest player on the pitch and knows how to exploit the positional advantage of a teammate by making simple passes.
"There are good players and there are players who look good on the pitch. The player who looks good does things that are nice, but not necessarily efficient," explained Alonso (via GOAL).
Alonso added how simple moves can have massive impacts on the outcome of games, and how Mess is the master of the craft.
"Why is Messi so good? Because he knows how and when to play simple passes. Messi says: 'You're in a better position? Here, there you have the ball!' It's not always about making the most brilliant move, but the best and smartest. Florian can do that. That's why he's so good," opined Alonso.
Lionel Messi and Argentina are currently involved in Copa America 2024. La Albiceleste, who are currently playing Chile, beat Canada 2-0 in their tournament opener.
