Bobby Firmino: A million dollar smile, matched by his million dollar game

July 2015 saw the arrival of a curious player from a team that finished 8th in the German Bundesliga. When Liverpool completed the near 30 million GBP deal with Hoffenheim, Bobby, as he became affectionately known, was on his way to England.

Liverpool’s forward options at that time included the likes of Rickie Lambert, Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini, Lazar Markovic, Raheem Sterling, Philippe Coutinho and the affable Daniel Sturridge.

Outside of those final three names, it does not bring back many fond memories. Bobby was coming to a side that desperately lacked any kind of creative juice. Firmino would eventually show himself to be that man.

His arrival to Merseyside actually predated that of Jurgen Klopp by about four months. In the following 8 years, an undeniable bond would be formed between player and manager and the player and club.

Firmino was joined by fellow arrivals Christian Benteke and Danny Ings as the Reds tried to revamp their attack. Not unlike what they have been doing in the last 18 months.

It’s an example of the circle of life in football. Bobby ushered in a new attacking era at Liverpool in 2015. He leaves the attack in capable hands, and feet, in 2023.

Bobby scored his first Liverpool goal against Manchester City, because of course he did as the Reds ran out 4-1 winners on the day.

With the club putting nearly 50 million GBP into Benteke, he was shoehorned into the Starting XI as Klopp tried to get the best out of the big Belgian. However, it just wasn’t working nearly enough. The moment Klopp shifted Firmino to the False 9 role, it was as if a light bulb clicked and neither player nor club looked back.

His ability to drop deep and collect the ball from any angle, in addition to his unselfishness, a rare trait for a forward, were so crucial to a Liverpool side that was still finding its identity.  Things began to click from that moment on.

Bobby finished the season as the team’s top scorer, with 10. He also scored against Manchester United in the Europa League Round of 16 as the club marched onto an eventual Runner-Up finish in the competition.

Scoring against United in Europe is a surefire way to win over the Liverpool brass and faithful. However, it was not just his mesmerizing play, but the sheer joy he played with that endeared him to everyone associated with the club.

Over the next few years, Firmino would continue scoring and creating goals for Liverpool as he formed one of the fiercest front 3’s in World Football alongside Sadio Mane and Mo Salah. What truly allowed these three to flourish was Bobby had no issue taking a step back.

His selflessness gave Salah and Mane the comfort to go out and do their thing on a weekly basis, unabated. Throw in Bobby always being willing to track back and help the defense, it was clear that he was the lynchpin to a Liverpool team that from 2019 on would win every trophy available to them.

The likes of Mane and Salah got the plaudits in attack, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold in defense, and Jordan Henderson was the Captain. However, it was players like Gini Wijnaldum and Firmino that were so instrumental in the successes enjoyed by the club.

While he was not the prototypical No. 9, Firmino still had an immaculate touch around goal. His return of 111 goals and 79 assists for the club is further proof he could do the job whenever he needed to.

As the Liverpool team continued to evolve and change its shape, a constant throughout was the bubbly personality of Bobby and his love of the sport and club. This infectious attitude permeated throughout the team.

Even when he was not on the field, his bright smile could easily be picked out amongst the subs as he always tried to keep things lose.

The new age of Reds attackers has arrived in the form of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo. However, while all three of those men are supremely talented, none of them possess the “Bobby Magic”.

Sometimes it would be understandable if Firmino was a created player on FIFA Street with all of his ball tricks and shimmies.

As it were, he was the real deal from the very beginning. It’s a testament to the player that at 31, there are still a lot of people at the club and fans alike that wanted a Bobby extension. However, he wants to play regular football.

Toss in the mega money being offered by Al-Ahli, one can hardly blame the charismatic Brazilian for making the free move to the Saudi League. His arrival to a league that has a cloud of angst and doubt hanging over it should not dampen his time here.

Firmino brought goals, assists, wins and silverware to a club that was starved for all of those upon his arrival. There was nothing more the club or us fans could have asked from him.

Off the field he brought many laughs and smiles. Even on his way out, that brilliant smile was the only thank you we needed.

I hope Bobby smashes it in Saudi Arabia. I want him to have all the successes and I look forward to his first no-look goal at his new club.

“There’s something that the Kop wants you to know, 

The Best in the World his name is Bobby Firmino,

Our number nine, 

Give him the ball and he’ll score every time, 

Si Senor, 

Give the ball to Bobby and he will score.”