The top 10 best Liverpool players of the 2010s
By David Gate
No.6 – Roberto Firmino
Roberto Firmino is the man Brendan Rodgers didn’t want but he’s the man who has helped define the last part of the decade.
Rodgers preferred Christian Benteke to Firmino and was essentially bribed to sign the Brazilian, who looked like a good player under the Northern Irishman but never properly flourished under Klopp came on to the scene.
Under Klopp, Firmino has taken his game to new heights. He leads the press but he isn’t just a hardworking, defensive forward. There are the no look goals, the flicks, the finesse and the goals. When the Brazilian is missing, you can tell. There is simply nobody else in the squad who can do his job.
In terms of pure strikers, Daniel Sturridge had a magnificent burst of form with Liverpool but he could never sustain that and eventually left on the free transfer with ‘what might have beens’ ringing in his ears.
With 213 appearances for the club, Firmino has grown with the team and can look back on his contribution to the Klopp revolution with pride. Salah and Mane score more goals but in a way, the Brazilian knits it all together and creates the conditions that enable the inside forwards to do so well.
But that doesn’t mean he’s goal shy: 70 goals and 55 assists in his Anfield career tell their own story. At 28-years-old, Bobby can go down in history if he sees out the rest of his four-year contract – which is due to expire in 2023.
[Profile by Russell Hughes]