Roberto Firmino

Roberto Firmino is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Premier League club Liverpool FC.

The South American forward moved to Liverpool FC in 2015 summer transfer window from German side Hoffenheim.

Firmino has established himself as one of the best forwards in the Premier League since his £29m switch to Anfield.

The Brazilian attacker was handed the Liverpool FC number nine shirt at the start of the 2017-18 season in a clear sign of his importance to the Merseyside club.

Firmino is also a regular in the Brazil squad since making his debut in November 2014.

The Liverpool FC star made his first appearance at an international tournament when Brazil participated in the 2015 Copa America.

Early Life

(Photo: Roberto Firmino / Instagram)

Roberto was something of an unknown quantity to Liverpool FC fans when the South American forward completed his move to Merseyside in 2015.

His football career started in his homeland after he was spotted by a dentist which led to a move to Brazilian club Figueirense.

Although he made his name at Figueirense, the attacker began his footballing journey with Clube de Regatas Brasil in his hometown and also enjoyed a stint at Tonbense FC prior to moving to Europe.

Roberto’s professional debut for the Brazilian club came in October 2009, when he was a substitute in a 2-1 loss to Ponte Preta in Brazil’s second tier.

He played an important role in helping Figueirense to reach Serie A after a return of eight goals in 36 appearances in the 2010-11 season.

His performances for Figueirense started to attract some interest from some European clubs – and Hoffenheim 1899 won the race to sign Firmino.

Hoffenheim 1899

(Photo: Roberto Firmino / Instagram)

Firmino agreed a move to Hoffenheim 1899 in December 2010 and penned a five-year contract with the Bundesliga club.

He completed the switch to the German side when the 2011 January transfer window opened and embarked on his first footsteps in European football.

Hoffenheim manager Ernst Tanner was delighted to add a Brazilian talent to his squad but made his new signing wait a month before his debut at Mainz.

Roberto had an immediate impact, scoring three goals in 11 games, with his first goal a winner in a 1-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in April 2011.

Firmino’s best season at Hoffenheim came in 2013-14 when the talented attacker netted 22 times in 37 games in all competitions to attract interest from some of Europe’s top clubs.

In fact, the South American won Bundesliga’s Breakthrough Player award after he finished fourth in the German top flight’s goal-scoring charts. He showed his unselfish side in his prolific 2013-14 season too, assisting 12 goals for his Hoffenheim team-mates.

It came as no surprise to see Hoffenheim reward the forward with a new three-year contract extension to secure his future until 2017.

However, the 2014-15 campaign would prove to be Roberto’s final season at Hoffenheim 1899 despite his new deal.

Combining his own strike tally with his assists, Firmino has been involved in 45 goals in his last 66 outings in the German top flight.

Firmino’s consistent performances in Germany caught the interest of Liverpool FC and the South American became the club’s third most-expensive player of all-time when he completed a £29m switch to Anfield in June 2015.

Liverpool FC

(Photo: Roberto Firmino / Instagram)

Liverpool FC agreed a £29m deal to sign Firmino from Hoffenheim 1899 on 23 June 2015 despite the forward participating in the Copa America at the time of his transfer.

Roberto put pen to paper on a long-term deal with Liverpool FC despite being initially linked with the Merseyside club’s bitter Premier League rivals Manchester United.

He was initially handed the Liverpool FC number 11 shirt when his transfer was officially completed on 4 July 2015.

Liverpool FC manager Brendan Rodgers used Roberto sparingly in the opening five games of the Premier League season despite only Andy Carroll and Christian Benteke costing more money in transfer fees than the Brazilian at that time.

Firmino started three Premier League games under Rodgers before the Northern Irishman was sacked in October 2015. His successor was former Borussia Dortmund head coach Jurgen Klopp.

Speaking to The Sport Review in an exclusive interview, Bundesliga expert Raphael Honigstein revealed that Klopp was a big admirer of Firmino during his time in charge at Borussia Dortmund.

This became apparent when Klopp made Firmino a first-team regular following his appointment as the Liverpool FC manager. The German coach preferred to use the Brazilian in a “false nine” role.

Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t long before Firmino opened his Liverpool FC account with a brilliant performance in a 4-1 victory over top-four rivals Manchester City at The Etihad.

(Photo: Roberto Firmino / Instagram)

It was the first time Liverpool FC supporters go a glimpse of the potential partnership between Firmino, his compatriot Philippe Coutinho and England international Adam Lallana.

The Brazil international continued to improve under Klopp and Firmino scored two goals in a 3-3 draw with Arsenal as he found the net at Anfield for the first time.

A fortnight later, Firmino scored another double in a thrilling 5-4 victory over Norwich City in what is one of Liverpool FC’s most-memorable games under Klopp up until that point.

Firmino finished season in style with goals against Manchester City and Manchester United at Anfield to further win over Liverpool FC supporters.

Unfortunately, the Brazilian couldn’t end his first season at Anfield with silverware after Liverpool FC were beaten on penalties by Manchester City in the League Cup final and lost 2-1 to Sevilla in the Europa League showpiece.

The Brazil international would surpass that tally in 2016-17 with 11 goals, as he helped Liverpool FC to finish in the top four and secure a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2014.

Firmino scored against Arsenal at Anfield for the second successive season to help Liverpool FC secure fourth place in Klopp’s first full season in charge of the Merseyside club.

Firmino scored in Liverpool FC’s 4-2 win against Hoffenheim at Anfield in their Champions League play-off. His goal helped the Reds’ to secure a 6-4 aggregate win and book their place in the group stage at the expense of his former club.

Roberto produced his best return in front of goal in the 2017-18 season at Liverpool FC, with 15 goals and seven assists in 37 Premier League games.

He was unable to help Liverpool FC avoid a 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League final in 2018. Firmino scored 10 times and made seven assists in the Champions League that season.

Firmino won his first major trophy with Liverpool FC in 2018-19 when he helped the Reds to win the Champions League, beating Tottenham 2-0 in the final. Firmino was replaced by goal-scorer Divock Origi in the 58th minute of the final.

He then enjoyed further success with the Reds when he scored nine goals and made eight assists to help Liverpool FC win the Premier League title in 2019-20. He featured in every single Premier League game for the Reds in their title-winning season.

International Career

Firmino made his Brazil debut in 2014 despite previously being overlooked for the national team squad.

He made his senior international debut in a 4-0 victory over Turkey in November 2014.

Roberto was included in Brazil’s squad for the 2015 Copa America as he made his first appearance at a major tournament.

In 2019, he helped Brazil to win the Copa America.

Personal Life

Roberto Firmino and his wife Larissa Pereira (Photo: Roberto Firmino / Instagram)

Firmino married his wife Larissa Pereira in the summer of 2017. They tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Firmino’s hometown of Maceio in June 2017. The couple have two daughters together.

His then Liverpool FC team-mates Alberto Moreno, Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Leiva all attended his wedding.

Family is clearly important to Firmino, and his wife and daughters are regularly spotted showing their support for the forward during games at Anfield.

Roberto Firmino – Did You Know?

• During his time in Germany, Firmino had an incredible appearance record. He featured in 33 of Hoffenheim’s 34 league fixtures each season in his last three years at the Bundesliga club.

• Although he is now recognised as a top forward, Roberto actually started his career as a defensive midfielder.