Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted he will miss Roberto Firmino ‘as a human’ as much as a player, as the Brazilian prepares to leave the club.
Firmino confirmed last month that he would be leaving Merseyside after an eventful 8-year stay at the club. He has been a fan favourite and of course, one of the most crucial players for Klopp. He won everything there was to win at club level with Liverpool.
Moreover, he would be remembered for the deadly attacking trio that he formed alongside Mane and Salah. The trio conquered the whole of Europe and were unplayable at times.
However, more than a player, he would be remembered for being a respectful human whom the fans and teammates adore like.
Liverpool are planning to send Firmino off with a farewell documentary entitled Bobby. They have released an extract in which Klopp discusses how much he will miss the 31-year-old.
‘Firmino is so integral for everything at Liverpool in my time’: Klopp
Klopp spoke about the Brazilian in the video extract about how much he would miss working with the 31-year-old.
“He is so integral for everything what happened here in my time. I think he is still the player who started most games even when recently he didn’t start that often.
It’s just that I couldn’t imagine for a long, long time how our game would look without him. So, we had to find ways when he was not available and we came through these spells: Sadio [Mane] last year, for example, did exceptional, did that really well.
But yes, as a person, as a human, as a boy, I will miss him. As a player we all will miss him, but anyway I think it’s the right way to part ways: very respectful, with tears in our eyes and with the knowledge that we will definitely miss each other because it will be the other way around the same.
But we are professional football people and we have to part ways from time to time, it’s a completely normal thing. So, we will stay friends forever definitely, I will be grateful forever for everything he did for us, for me, and he will go down as one of the Liverpool greats.
What can you wish more for in a footballer’s life than that?”
Firmino is now free to discuss his future with other clubs. Meanwhile, reports in Spain suggest Real Madrid are interested in the forward.
I’m a football enthusiast and an avid writer and someone who lives by the Bill Shankly quote, on a day to day basis.
