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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Jake Bayliss

Roberto Firmino got more than he bargained for after leaving Liverpool for Al-Ahli

Roberto Firmino was mobbed by fans as he was welcomed to his new club Al-Ahli.

The 31-year-old signed off his eight-year Liverpool career in fitting style, scoring in each of the club’s last two games of the season.

Firmino became a pivotal part of the Reds’ success under Jurgen Klopp and leaves Anfield with a sizable medal haul, which includes winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. He scored 111 goals and provided 72 assists in 362 appearances for the Reds.

With his contract expiring this summer, the Brazil international followed in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N’golo Kante by completing a move to a Saudi Arabian side, which was confirmed earlier this week. Firmino has teamed up with former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy at Al-Ahli and received a hero’s welcome upon his arrival.

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Footage, shared by @Rabanalsafena on Twitter, has emerged of fans waiting to welcome the former Liverpool hero to Saudi Arabia.

Firmino stopped to take pictures with supporters but was quickly greeted by a delighted mob of fans, with a couple of them kissing him on the head, as various chants of, ‘Oh, Bobby Firmino’ rang out.

An emotional Firmino bid farewell to Liverpool in June and the forward shared a video of his goodbye speech. "Eight years of Liverpool are coming to an end for my family and me in a few days,” Firmino said.

“The truth is I never could have dreamed that it was possible to achieve what we achieved together. It has been the honour of my life so far to have been a part of this Liverpool family. You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

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