Roberto Firmino: Everything you need to know about Liverpool's new signing
Wednesday 24 June 2015 10:41, UK
We take a closer look at Hoffenheim forward Roberto Firmino, as Liverpool complete a deal for the Brazilian international.
The Brazil attacker is currently on international duty at the Copa America - but will be on his way to the Premier League later this summer after Liverpool completed a £21m deal with Hoffenheim.
Name: Roberto Firmino
Age: 23
Position: Midfield/forward
Club: 1899 Hoffenheim
Nation: Brazil (Nine appearances, four goals)
What’s his background?
Plucked from the second tier of Brazilian football by Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim in 2010, the brace-clad teenager struggled to adapt to foreign climes initially, and it took three seasons for us to see the best of this precocious talent - but it was worth the wait.
Since the start of 2013/14, Firmino has weighed in with 23 goals and 21 assists in the German top flight, and has attracted interested from several of Europe’s elite clubs, with his agent revealing he's on his way to England.
He was a stand-out performer for Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga this season as he scored seven goals and assisted a further 10 - a total bettered only by Manchester City target Kevin De Bruyne and Werder Bremen's Zlatko Junuzovic.
The 23-year-old has also excelled on the international stage. As Brazil have looked to bounce back for the Mineirao Massacre at the hands of eventual World Cup champions Germany one year ago, Firmino has offered returning coach Dunga a new lease of life.
Firmino has been deployed as a false nine by Dunga and has shone in the role. He's currently in Chile with the Brazil squad at the Copa America, where he found the net in a 2-1 win against Venezuela.
What is his style?
Firmino's ambidextrous talents have helped developed his adaptability. Leading the line as a detached striker has been a regular position for his club as well as country, but he is naturally a No 10, while roles as a wide forward or even deeper in midfield can also bring out the best in him.
Pace, flamboyance and speed of thought are a given for any fleet-footed boy from Brazil, but it is the 23-year-old’s work-rate that could quickly endear Firmino to the Anfield crowd.
Confidence is not lacking in his game either, as his 25-yard goal on his full debut for Brazil exemplified. Premier League defences could be in for a rough ride.
