Jump to content
  • Sign up for free and receive a month's subscription

    You are viewing this page as a guest. That means you are either a member who has not logged in, or you have not yet registered with us. Signing up for an account only takes a minute and it means you will no longer see this annoying box! It will also allow you to get involved with our friendly(ish!) community and take part in the discussions on our forums. And because we're feeling generous, if you sign up for a free account we will give you a month's free trial access to our subscriber only content with no obligation to commit. Register an account and then send a private message to @dave u and he'll hook you up with a subscription.

Firmino: I have had the time of my life but it is time to leave Liverpool


TLW
 Share

Recommended Posts

Roberto Firmino is parting ways with Liverpool in the most amicable of ways according to his agent.

 

News broke on Friday that Firmino was set to leave the club that he has called home for eight seasons and over 350 appearances in all competitions.

 

It was an emotional moment for many fans as the Brazilian has been an instrumental figure in this special era for the club.

 

 

 firmino5_600.jpg

 

Alongside Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, they combined to become the most potent and feared front three in the Premier League and arguably in Europe. The beauty about the trio is that they each had different elements to their game and when you put it all together, you had a winning formula.

 

In the Samba tradition, Firmino had his share of technical quality to his game, however he combined that with a tremendous and selfless workrate which made those around him better players.

 

And to top it off, he did it with a terrific attitude and a trademark smile.

 

But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end and with Liverpool embarking on a re-generation of sorts, and with Firmino out of contract come the end of this season, all things added up to this decision

 

Speaking to Football Insider about the moment when it came to fruition was Firmino’s agent Roger Wittman, who said that Firmino was emotional but very honest about what he needed to do.

 

“This was not the easiest decision for the boy. It took a long time to make his decision along with the family and the decision was with love.

 

“Roberto is a peaceful man and said, ‘I’ve had my time but it’s time to go. Liverpool was the biggest, greatest, most successful time of my life together with the manager, together with my colleagues, together with all of them’. It was an unbelievable journey.

 

“He said the feeling with Liverpool, this is unbeatable. This club, the people, all of them. I saw so many rumours about the boy making a decision, even the club, but everything was with peace."

 

It is rare in modern day sport for athletes to maintain their core values with all the money and various endorsement opportunities that are available.

 

But in the case of Firmino, you can take him completely at face value, what you see is what you get.

 

firmino11_600.jpg

 

As Wittman explained, this whole experience is new for him, but at the moment he wants to stay truly professional and do the best thing by his current club.

 

“Our plan for the next couple of weeks – this is the plan of Roberto – is to show the manager and Liverpool finally again the best version of him to say goodbye. This is what he wants to do.

 

“He has no clue what that means for him in the near future. He told us during the whole phase when we negotiated, ‘I don’t want to talk to anybody else, there’s no need to do that’. He said it was a decision with the club.

 

“This was the first time in my life he’s a free agent player and he said there was no need to talk to others! So he’s not motivated by other clubs or by financial terms – far away from that.

 

“He is the best Brazilian scorer ever in the Premier League (currently on 78 goals) , he’s not a normal one, a top human. He was really, really sad as well, when he told us this would be his new challenge, it was unbelievably emotional.

 

firmino8_600.jpg

 

“The club gave him the time as well, no pressure. And he never started to compare asking us to talk to different clubs. For us [it would be] easy but this was not his intention, it was just to find his own way. This is so far away from this normal business, believe me!”

 

In terms of departures from clubs, this appears to be as pure and mutually respectful as you can get. Unless a miraculous comeback occurs in Madrid in a few weeks time, Firmino’s last season will be without any silverware.

 

However playing a part in clinching Champions League football next season will be fitting of the individual and his want to help the team in any way.

 

And the silver lining about this early announcement is that it will give fans ample opportunity to pay tribute to the 31 year-old.

 


View full article

  • Upvote 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

“The club gave him the time as well, no pressure. And he never started to compare asking us to talk to different clubs. For us [it would be] easy but this was not his intention, it was just to find his own way. This is so far away from this normal business, believe me!”

 

Don't really get this. Is Bobby going to Goa or to Thailand for a year to take drugs on the beach and try to find himself?

 

 

 

 

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Hard to imagine him not being around. A fabulous player, who played with a smile on a face and brought us so much joy. 
 

I’ve never seen a more selfless player, for a man of his talent it’s incredible. Will be remembered as an integral part of success in the Klopp era, 100+ goals for the club and one of the best songs we’ve ever had.

 

Bobby, it’s been an absolute pleasure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, The Midnight Rambler said:

Firmino is asked how he would wish to be remembered by his adoring Liverpool fans. “Difficult,” he says before adding, after a long pause: “My generosity and my heart.”
 

*does a little cry*

Yeah that whole guardian article is tremendous:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/may/19/roberto-firmino-admits-tears-will-flow-after-emotional-anfield-farewell
What a man.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...