No wonder the lad's so good at winning the ball back.
Roberto Firmino reveals he played in defence until he was 17 and hopes manager Jürgen Klopp can help make him the 'Neymar of Liverpool'
By Dominic King for the Daily Mail
Published: 22:30, 15 September 2016
It turns out this wasn't the plan. Had things gone as Roberto Firmino expected when he began chasing his dream in the Brazilian beach city of Maceio, fame and fortune would have come at the other end of the pitch.
'I started out as a defender,' says Firmino, the current spearhead of Liverpool's team and a man who is becoming one of the Premier League's most talked about forwards. 'I played as a full-back and then I moved into the centre. I played defence right the way through until the Under-18s. Honestly!'
Firmino smiles broadly as he makes this revelation. It seems inconceivable that someone with his gifts, from the wonderful touch to the absolute certainty he has in his finishing, should have been schooled in the art of destruction but he is a player of hidden surprises.
When he first arrived at Liverpool in June 2015, with a £29million price tag, many wondered how and where he would fit in. Was he a No 10? Was he a winger? After he picked up a bad back injury in a League Cup tie against Carlisle, it seemed as though this would be another expensive mistake.
The arrival of Jürgen Klopp, however, was the catalyst for Firmino to blossom. He has become the prototype Klopp forward, his place in Liverpool's attack not for up debate. Why? Nobody in the squad can match him for high intensity sprints. This is Liverpool's marathon man.
'I've been quite hyperactive since I was a child,' says Firmino. 'I don't like to stop. I do have moments when I like to relax but I'm always moving and that has always been the case since I was a boy. Nowadays that is the only way you can play football.
'You have to be on the move. I'm not that crazy and I know there are times when you have to stop. I like to relax, of course I do! But when I am inside the pitch, that is it. You have to go on full on from the first minute.
'All of us have our qualities that add to the team. But our manager wants each of us to be like a runner. Don't stop. Never stop. Keep going. That is the way it is for him and that is the way I like to play. You always have to be in motion.
'It comes easy to me to run. I picked a lot of it up from Germany. I had four-and-a-half years there and I learned you have to be on the automatic button. Press it and you go, you keep running, chasing and working. I always try to do a bit more than I am asked.'
Another smile follows. Then again, everything he seems to say comes with a smile. Life, after all, is good. His form has been dazzling, while life at home has never been better after his wife, Larissa, gave birth to their second daughter, Bella, three weeks ago.
Being so settled is all a far cry from when he first arrived in Europe in 2010, having been signed by Hoffenheim from Figueirense, a club in Brazil's south. He left home at 16, despite the pleas from his mother, Maria, and father, Jose to stay and study. They are a tight-knit unit, so much so that Firmino has his parents faces tattooed on his right arm with the inscription 'eternal family love'.
'I come from Maceio, where it is very hot all year around,' says Firmino, taking up the story. 'I moved to Florinoples in the south, which is very cold. I passed the tests that were asked of me there and that got me the move to Germany. I could have stayed in Brazil but I wanted the challenge.
'I remember the first day getting to Hoffenheim. Minus 20! The weather was different, the food was different. It was cold and I found it difficult but I am not someone who gives up. I had it in my head that I would have to battle, to fight and work hard to make my dream come true. I ended up here.
'This is my dream. I'm relaxed about being away from Brazil. I know after all this hard work, I will be compensated. When I knew of Liverpool's interest, I watched a lot of videos to see what I could expected. When they asked if I wanted to come, I did not think twice. I just said yes. There will be times to enjoy things in the future but now it is about work. I won't stop.'
And he doesn't stop. So far this season, he has covered 46.9kilometres and he is relishing the chance to press and pester the life out of Chelsea's big money deadline day signing; Firmino's face lights up when he talks about David Luiz but friendships will be on hold when this rivalry resumes.
'He's my amigo,' says Firmino. 'I don't get the chance to see him in person a lot but I speak to him on WhatsApp whenever I can. I was a little bit surprised when he came back to England but he is a great player. I've not spoken to him this week but I'm looking forward to playing against him.'
Whether Luiz will say the same is open to debate. One thing beyond question, though, is the affinity he and Klopp have developed over the last year and you can see, with each passing week, the subtle improvements he is adding to the 24-year-old's game.
Klopp made Robert Lewandowski and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang superstars in Germany and there is no reason why he can't do the same for Firmino, whose two goals last week at Anfield helped rip Leicester to shreds. This pupil, after all, is willing.
'I played against his teams for four-and-a-half years,' says Firmino, who converses with Klopp in German while he continues to study English. 'I know what he wants from a player. When I heard that he was coming to be Liverpool manager, I was so pleased. I could not have been happier.
'I knew what he was going to bring here. He brought a style of work and play from Germany and the team has adapted to it. Our friendship is crystal clear. There is nothing behind it. He is a great person. If you do what he asks you to do, you will never let him down.
'Can he make me the Neymar of Liverpool? It all depends on me.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3791591/Roberto-Firmino-reveals-played-defence-17-hopes-manager-Jürgen-Klopp-help-make-Neymar-Liverpool.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
