More like up to the age of 21 not 22 since Wirtz season being 22 hasn’t even started yet.
Phil Foden made his professional debut for Manchester City in 2017 at the age of 17, but for much of his early career, he was eased into the first team as a rotation option under Pep Guardiola. While this allowed him to learn in an elite environment, it also meant limited game time and relatively low responsibility in the early years. From 17 to around 20, Foden often featured off the bench and was surrounded by some of the best players in the world, which naturally made it easier to shine in certain moments without carrying the full creative burden.
In contrast, Florian Wirtz broke into Bayer Leverkusen’s first team in 2020 at just 17 years old and immediately became a starter. Unlike Foden, Wirtz was given a central role from the beginning — tasked with driving the attack, creating chances, and often acting as the team’s key playmaker. His influence was not only consistent but crucial, and he took on far more responsibility for his team’s offensive output than most players his age.
From a statistical point of view, Wirtz was remarkably productive. Despite suffering a serious ACL injury in 2022, he still managed to reach over 60 goal contributions (goals + assists) before the age of 21. In the 2023/24 season, just before turning 21, he played a leading role in Leverkusen’s historic campaign, helping the club win both the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal while going unbeaten in the league also while being their best player. Which other 21 yr old did that in the Bundesliga? Only one who came close was Götze back then who was compared to Neymar and even then Dortmund didn’t go unbeaten.
Wirtz individual accomplishments
- Fritz-Walter Medal Gold (U17 in 2020, U19 in 2022)
- Bundesliga Rookie of the Year (2020/21)
- Bundesliga Team of the Season (multiple times)
- Europa League Young Player of the Season (2022/23)
Foden also achieved major success, especially in terms of team trophies. Between 17 and 21, he won multiple Premier League titles, League Cups, and an FA Cup with Manchester City. He was named PFA Young Player of the Year twice (2020/21 and 2021/22) and Premier League Young Player of the Season twice as well. These are impressive honors too difference is the team they both played for. Not saying making the first team at the age of 17 isn’t impressive but there’s a difference between turning an team completely over in that age group then being a part of it while mostly sitting on the bench. We are talking about individual stuff not what the team has done.
To put it simply: Foden played for the best team in the league — and won accordingly. Wirtz played for a strong team — but made them elite. He was the focal point of Leverkusen’s success. For me it’s like saying Vinicius is better then Neymar because he won more - yet no one will actually believe that. Obviously the Neymar to Vinicius comparison is dumb since Neymar is easily top 5 most talented offensive players of all time but still you get the memo?
Between the ages of 17-21 Wirtz had more impact for his team.
And that’s where Wirtz currently is. He hasn’t had a season since turning 22.
Numbers only
Phil Foden born May 28,2000
- Premier League** (2017/18 to 2021/22):
– Appearances: 5 + 13 + 23 + 28 + 28 = 97
– Goals: 0 + 1 + 5 + 9 + 9 = 24
- FA Cup:
– 0 (2017/18) + 3 (18/19) + 1 (19/20) + 2 (20/21) + 1 (21/22) = 7 appearances, ~6 goals
- EFL Cup (League Cup):
– 2 + 5 + 5 + 4 + 2 = 18 apps, ~5 goals (2+0+0+2+1)
- UEFA Champions League:
– 3 + 4 + 5 + 13 + 11 = 36 apps, goals: 0 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 3 = 9 goals
Florian Wirtz May 3, 2003
- Bundesliga:
– 2020/21: 29 apps, 5 goals, 5 assists
– 2021/22: 24 apps, 7 goals, 10 assists (season cut short due to injury)
– 2022/23: (post-injury return, approximately full season) around 32 apps, 11 goals, 12 assists
→ Total Bundesliga (till age 21): apps ≈ 85, goals 23, assists 27
- DFB‑Pokal:
– 2020/21: 1 appearance, 1 goal
– 2021/22: 1 appearance, ~1 assist
– 2023/24 partial: 6 apps, 3 goals, 4 assists
→ Total DFB‑Pokal: ~8 apps, 4 goals, ~5 assists
- UEFA Europa League:
– 2020/21: 7 apps, 2 goals, 2 assists
– 2021/22: 6 apps, 3 goals, 4 assists
– 2023/24: 11 apps, 4 goals, 4 assists
→ Total Europa League: 24 apps, 9 goals, 10 assists
- UEFA Champions League:
– Wirtz only played in UCL in first half of 2024/25, after turning 21 → excludes from age‑17‑21 period.
