When he left, the Rhenish arch-rivals were fighting.
The move from Florian Wirtz from the youth department of 1. FC Cologne to the other side of the Rhine to Bayer Leverkusen caused a stir.
Leverkusen had poached the 17-year-old super talent, although there was an agreement between the clubs not to do just that.
In Leverkusen, Wirtz got off to a flying start, is now the youngest Bundesliga shooter and makes his debut in the U21 national team earlier than anyone before him.
In Leverkusen they are celebrating a great deal with good reason, in Cologne they have not yet fully overcome the loss of talent.
For 1. FC Köln there was only a low six-digit transfer fee, Wirtz's current market value is estimated at 24 million euros at Transfermarkt.de.
He has scored twice in the current season, most recently against his former club.
At only 17 years of age, the Bavarian team cannot be imagined without the Pulheimer.
Question:
Your ascent over the past seven months was fast-moving.
Do you remember what you planned for 2020 a year ago?
Wirtz:
I was still playing in the youth team of 1. FC Köln, wanted to become champions again with the U17 and be successful with the national junior team.
I didn't even think about professional football at that time.
Question:
How did you feel when you entered the professional cabin for the first time?