Liverpool may end up with the best player at the 2026 World Cup
The World Cup is fully underway and the stars are on show. Could the best player at the tournament be a Liverpool star?
The race has begin for the best player at the World Cup. There are a few incredible contenders, naturally, and there's still a sense that Lionel Messi might be the best player in the world even at his age.
Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Harry Kane, Declan Rice, and Vinicius Jr are among the group chasing the golden ball. Of course, being the best player at the World Cup depends heavily on your playing in a team that could actually win the trophy.
Erling Haaland, for all his efforts, is highly unlikely to remain in the competition long enough to be named best player.
And so there is another favourite who doesn't really have a player considered to be in that group of likely best players. Germany.
They've got a squad capable of competing for the trophy, and warmed up for the competition with four wins in friendlies. Friendlies against good team, too, such as Switzerland, Ghana and the USA.
If Germany are to go all the way, they'll need a standout player among that group of elite stars. There's little question that Florian Wirtz is the one they're banking on.
Wirtz had a below par season with Liverpool in 2025/26 but there's no question that one of the world's best players is in there. We've seen it for Germany, in fact - March saw him score twice and assists the other two in the 4-3 win over Switzerland.
He scored in the win over Finland two weeks ago, too, and put in decent performances across Germany's other two. He will be given a licence to run the show for Julian Nagelsmann's team and if he can play at his best, Wirtz is undoubtedly of the quality to compete for the Golden Ball.
Liverpool could do with some positivity heading into the next season after changing head coach and saying goodbye to some legendary figures. Wirtz demonstrating he's very much still one of the world's best players would give them exactly that.
Florian Wirtz: Situation Summary
Liverpool Career and Performance
As of 14 June 2026, Florian Wirtz is a 23-year-old attacking midfielder for Liverpool FC. Following a record-breaking £100 million transfer from Bayer Leverkusen in June 2025, the playmaker endured a mixed debut season under heavy scrutiny in England. Despite struggling at times to fully justify his massive price tag, he still made 49 appearances across all competitions, registering seven goals and eight assists. His technical quality and high work rate helped Liverpool secure their 20th top-flight league championship title, laying a solid foundation for his future at Anfield.
International Status and World Cup Involvement
Wirtz is currently in North America with the Germany national team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he is considered the creative heartbeat of Julian Nagelsmann's side. After strong pre-tournament friendly performances—including a decisive brace against Switzerland—the midfielder was named in the final squad. He is set to make his highly anticipated tournament debut today, 14 June 2026, in Germany's opening Group E match against World Cup debutants Curaçao in Houston.
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