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Roberto Firmino exclusive
- Updated: September 30, 2016
Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino has been one of the stars of the club’s encouraging start to the season. Soccer AM’s Tubes caught up with the Brazilian to discuss his role in the team, the transition from being a defender in his youth, and life under Jurgen Klopp…
He’s Liverpool’s false nine. The man who scored twice against champions Leicester playing from the left but started May’s Europa League final against Sevilla as a No 10. Jurgen Klopp’s flexible friend. So perhaps it’s not such a surprise that Roberto Firmino was once a defender.
But how did the switch come about? “It was a youth-team coach at CRB,” Firmino tells Sky Sports, referring to the lower league Brazilian club where it all began for him. “I was playing in defence once. I dominated the game and even dribbled past their forwards a few times.
“I showed my quality and so he decided to play me as a playmaker. I then played on the wing for a while before becoming an attacking midfielder where I started scoring goals and realised that was the position for me.”
Not that he is fussy about his role. “I don’t have a preference,” he adds. “I just want to play which is what I enjoy. I always want to play regardless of the position. I always want to help the team and show what I can do.”
He did that in his debut season at Anfield, finishing as the club’s top scorer in the Premier League and making 49 …
