The last time Bayer Leverkusen visited Ibrox all eyes were on Kai Havertz, but this time around Rangers fans caught a glimpse of their latest wonderkid Florian Wirtz.
Wirtz might only be 19-years-old but the attacking midfielder is well on the way to emulating the early success of £71m Chelsea midfielder Havertz, who scored against Rangers on Europa League duty back in 2020.
Florian Wirtz is a name that isn’t exactly new on the block but the midfielder’s development at the Bundesliga outfit continues to see him linked with some of the top clubs in Europe.
The kid never played for Bayer Levekusen on their last visit to Ibrox – which they won 3-1 – but did start the post-Covid return leg which the Germans won 1-0.
Leverkusen are no mugs when it comes to player trading and according to reports earlier this year, Bayer are demanding around £130m (€150m) for their rising star.
Florian Wirtz has already made 78 appearances with an impressive return of 19 goals and 22 assists, with one of them against Old Firm rivals Celtic in a 4-0 Leverkusen victory in the Europa League last season.
Florian Wirtz heads list of Bayer Leverkusen stars v Rangers
Wirtz – who came off the bench in the 3-0 Rangers win wasn’t the only notable Leverkusen name at Ibrox for the friendly match either with Kerem Demirbay, Moussa Diaby and Karim Bellarbi all involved in the game.
But it was the return of one man to Ibrox on the sidelines in the shape of Xabi Alonso – who appeared in Govan with Liverpool in a 4-0 friendly win against Rangers in 2008 – which would’ve caught plenty of attention.
Rangers fans are well used to former superstars-come-managers after the tenures of Steven Gerrard and Giovanni van Bronckhorst but this was the first time the former Real Madrid midfielder has appeared at Ibrox in a managerial capacity.
Whilst it was only a friendly match, Michael Beale got the better of the Spanish World Cup winner in a triumphant victory on the day and the new Ibrox manager’s first outing in the famous stadium.
Whilst we’re talking up Florian Wirtz here, it was another German-born wonderkid who stole the show at Ibrox.