October 22 – Despite a lackluster start to the season, Panini America has signed Liverpool and Germany midfielder Florian Wirtz to an exclusive multi-year deal for trading cards and memorabilia.
Wirtz becomes a Panini Authentic athlete alongside French superstar Kylian Mbappé and American star Christian Pulisic. Its first memorabilia went on sale on Panini America’s website on Tuesday, and it will appear in the company’s football card collections and in select marketing.
“Florian Wirtz is one of the most exciting young players in the world, and we are thrilled to welcome him to our outstanding team of Panini athletes,” said Jason Howarth, senior vice president of marketing and athlete relations for Panini America.
Wirtz, 23, is in his second season at Liverpool after six years at Bayer Leverkusen, where he was Bundesliga player of the season in 2023/24 as the club won the league and German Cup. He was the German footballer of the year in 2025 and made his World Cup debut this summer.
“I grew up collecting Panini stickers, so to be a part of the Panini family now is something really special to me,” said Wirtz. “I’m excited to create unique products together and give fans around the world new ways to connect with me and the game.”
The signing comes as competition for the football collectibles market intensifies. Fan-owned Topps recently signed exclusive deals with Arsenal and Chelsea, and its Lionel Messi farewell card set a Topps Now record this month with more than 664,000 orders.
Panini’s position is based on its long history in the game. It is FIFA’s exclusive partner for stickers, trading cards, trading card games and digital collectibles, and has been a World Cup partner since 1970. The company started with Italy’s Serie A in 1961, and its other soccer licenses include US Soccer, LaLiga, the NWSL, the EFL and the Women’s Super League.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at (email protected)
