I owe Roberto Firmino an apology, although it has been a long time coming.
When the Brazilian first moved to Anfield in the summer of 2015, completing a surprise move from German club Hoffenheim, he arrived with plenty of hype suggesting that he could be the player that changed the fortunes of under-fire manager Brendan Rodgers.
As things turned out, the Northern Irishman was sacked before Firmino even scored a goal for the Reds, finally netting under Jurgen Klopp in a 4-1 win against Manchester City on November 21. Prior to Klopp's arrival, the Samba star had appeared to struggle in his new surroundings, leading to some suggestions that the reported £29million spent on him by Rodgers could have been a waste of money.
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His early form also led to a proclamation from this writer that in close circles I have struggled to live down ever since. Every football observer has come out with an absolute stinker in their time and this was my moment to shine. At some point during Firmino's first 12 appearances for Liverpool, I decided that I'd seen enough and labelled him a 'show pony'.
It would be an understatement to concede that in the years that have gone by, I have taken a fair bit of stick for that now clearly ludicrous assessment and I am only too happy to set the record straight by saying: "Sorry Bobby. You have been absolutely brilliant for this club."
With 353 appearances and 107 goals for the Reds, Firmino has won the lot and deservedly so. As a follower who is grey enough to remember Liverpool's last league title win before 2020, I can say without hesitation that he has been an integral part of the best forward line I have ever seen represent the club, alongside his partners in crime, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
To be mentioned in that bracket above the likes of Ian Rush, Robbie Fowler, Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez is an achievement of significant magnitude. How much that success Firmino enjoyed was a result of Klopp's coaching is hard to gauge, but there is no questioning that the South American simply flourished under the system his manager developed, with Firmino at the very heart of it.
The forward's Anfield mantlepiece is as decorated as any of his peers from the Klopp era, but when it came to the feared front three, it has so often been Salah and Mane who were elevated as the stars of the team, not that Klopp ever saw it that way. His comments back in 2018 perfectly summed up how he viewed the situation.
Klopp said: "Mo Salah, world class, but not every day. Sadio Mane, world class, but not every day. Roberto Firmino, world class, pretty much every day."
Such praise is not handed out freely by a man of Klopp's standing in the game, but that is how highly he rates a player he has openly admitted he wanted to keep at Anfield beyond the expiry of his contract in June.
Amid the glory of the past seven years, everyone has a favourite Bobby Firmino moment. Whether it was his thunderbolt at Stoke, nudging John Stones off the ball before chipping the 'keeper against Manchester City, his slalom through the Arsenal defence to score at Anfield, his deft flick finish against Watford or any of his countless Kung-Fu kick celebrations after goals, there has never been a dull moment with the Brazilian in town.
An advocate of the 'no-look' pass, Firmino's skills for Liverpool have been filthier than a miner's bootlace, but one moment in particular that springs to mind occurred some four years ago in the FA Cup against Cardiff City. Having fallen to the floor, the Liverpool forward not only manage to nutmeg his marker, but did so with a no-look back heel. Truly disgusting behaviour.
The Klopp sides that delivered the Champions League and Premier League titles had Firmino at their heart, not to mention the near-misses in Kiev and Paris. His intelligent link-up play and calmness in the penalty area have ensured that despite now being the wrong side of 30, he has never been far from Klopp's plans.
A changing of the guard is well underway at Anfield, with Mane already gone and new attackers like Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and more recently Cody Gakpo arriving in search of a place in a new-look team. But even as recently as last summer, Klopp could not deny how crucial Firmino has been for him since he arrived at the club.
Speaking in pre-season, Klopp said: “Bobby is crucial for us. Bobby is [the] heart and soul of this team. The way we played in the last few years was only possible because of Bobby. That’s why I’m really happy he could train the majority of the time here in the pre-season so far and everything looks really good.
“I am absolutely fine and, for me, there’s no doubt about his quality. All the rest, we will see how this year goes, but yes, he is essential for us.”
Eight years after his arrival, it turns out that this year is his last, but he will leave with the blessing of his manager, his teammates and the supporters who have been privileged to see him turn out in a Red shirt.
Roberto Firmino isn't a show pony. He isn't even a showman. He's a Liverpool legend of the modern era and we have been lucky to enjoy him for as long as we have done.
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