Sadio Mane has summed up every Liverpool fan’s feelings on Roberto Firmino, whose shirt is the only one up in his house, saying “I’ve never seen a football player like him.”
Mane and Firmino played alongside each other at Liverpool for six years, forming along with Mohamed Salah one of the most devastating attacking trios in history.
As a striker who has scored almost 250 goals across spells with Metz, Salzburg, Southampton, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and now Al-Nassr, no player has assisted Mane more times than Firmino (19).
It is the Brazilian’s selflessness and unique flair that make him such a popular player, so much so that his shirt is the only one hung up in Mane’s house.
Why Firmino is unlike any other player – Mane
“Exceptional, exceptional. For me, since I’ve grown up I’ve never seen a football player like Bobby. Never,” he told the Rio Meets podcast.
“I’ve never seen a teammate like Bobby in my life. He’s the only player from my life whose shirt I’ve got up in my house.
“Bobby Firmino, what he’s able to do, I can’t. Even myself. I’ve never seen any player doing it. He’s special.
“Sometimes Salah could score, I could score, in the changing room he doesn’t care. Me, you do this, I would be angry. Salah, you do this, he would be angry.
“Sometimes we players are like this, but Bobby, sometimes I look at him and think ‘what kind of person is this?’.
“I’ve never seen him angry with anybody, I never saw him angry.
“Obviously it’s more than football. In life, he’s always like this. Bobby Firmino is more than a football player.”
Roberto Firmino: An all-time Liverpool favourite
It is clear that Firmino is not only an all-time fans’ favourite, but also a players’ player: one of the most uniquely gifted but equally humble talents in the history of the sport.
His ability transcends what he offers on the pitch, as he set the standard both on and off the ball during his time as Liverpool’s No. 9.
Since leaving Anfield respectively, Mane and Firmino have faced each other on three occasions: the Senegalese winning two along with one draw between Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli.
Firmino has since left Saudi Arabia to join Qatar Stars League club Al-Sadd, playing under Roberto Mancini in a side which also includes former Wolves defender Romain Saiss.
