Firmino destined for 'world star' statusLiverpool have pulled off a wonderful signing with the acquisition of Roberto Firmino, according to Bundesliga football expert Andreas Hoffmann, who believes the Brazil striker is going all the way to the top.
"I have no doubt that he is going to become a world star," said the German reporter.
Firmino will complete his move from Hoffenheim to Liverpool, subject to passing a medical, when he returns from Chile, where he is representing the Brazil at the Copa America. But for those unfamiliar with the work of the 23-year-old forward, Hoffmann paints the picture of a player guaranteed to excite the Anfield faithful
"To be honest with you I am sad that he is leaving because he is an extraordinary player who is wonderful to watch," Hoffmann, who reports on Hoffenheim for Bild, the German sports daily, told premierleague.com.
âHis surprising ideas and his repertoire of passes have made me a huge fan of his."Firmino joined Hoffenheim in January 2011 following compatriots Carlos Eduardo and Luiz Gustavo, who had both been crowd favourites at the Rhein-Neckar Arena and, according to Hoffmann, he surpassed them, establishing himself as the instrumental attacking component of the side and enjoying a stand-out season in 2013/14 by topping the division's "scorer pointsâ, attributed for goals and assists in the Bundesliga and the German Cup.
âOn the pitch he is not typically Brazilian,â said Hoffmann, of a player known for his distinctive hairstyles and myriad tattoos.
âHe is more of a typical German than most Germans. Eduardo was technically very good and Gustavo was a very hard player, but Firmino is the combination of both. He has fantastic technique, he plays passes that are genius. âKreatives Genieâ, we say in Germany, and his ideas and his no-look passes are great."He creates goals and he can score them. In 2013/14 he had 39 'scorer points', which made him No 1 in Germany for his attacking productivity in the Bundesliga and the cup. He was ahead of [Robert] Lewandowski and [Marco] Reus who were No 2 and No 3 respectively, because he got 10 scorer points [six goals, four assists] in the cup and 29 scorer points in the league [16 goals and 13 assists]."Last season proved less effective for the Brazilian, as Hoffenheim tailed off in the second half of a campaign to finish eighth, after having been just two points off third place at the winter break. But were it not for Firminoâs tireless displays, Hoffmann believes the Bundesliga side might have found themselves struggling at the wrong end of the table.
"He is quick, great at dribbling and is hard against himself and others," he said.
"He fights to the end and never gives up. Liverpool should be happy to have him because several major clubs have been scouting him now since 2013, when Hoffenheim turned down a âŹ12m bid. He renewed his contract until 2017 on the understanding that that if a big club came in they would let him go the following season. The only question was which club was going to get him."Another German who watched Firmino's development from close quarters during a six-month spell in charge of Hoffenheim in 2012 was Markus Babbel, the former Liverpool defender, and he is in no doubt about the players qualities, says Hoffman.
"I spoke to Babbel yesterday and he told me that the fans in England will love him because when he gets fouled he doesnât cry about it," said Hoffmann.
"He just gets up and gets on with it."When he was Hoffenheimâs coach Babbel could see that Firmino was going to become a great player. He especially likes his explosive pace and his absolute will to win. He said that the only possible problem might be his price-tag which could be a burden, but because he fights hard and never gives up the fans will take to him straightaway."Hoffmann goes even further than Babbel, however, and predicts that Firmino will become a major force in the Barclays Premier League.
"Having spent many hours watching Hoffenheimâs matches and watching them train I have no doubt he is going to be a world star,"he said.
"I am totally sure Liverpool have got a really, really good player. You will have fun with him. He knows what he wants and he gets straight to it.""Firmino's great attributes are his South American temperament and his footballing skills," said Hoffenheim coach Markus Gisdol recently.
"But he also has retrieving the ball in his flesh and blood; for him the game is not over when the opponent has the ball, in fact the game is really interesting then, because it is a great opportunity to score."If the ball is lost but you steal it back straight away, the opponent is often not ready. Roberto is made for these moments because he often wins the ball with his pressing and then creates excellent opportunities for his team to score."Liverpool fans, it seems, can thus look forward to seeing a pacy forward who has an eye for a pass and a never-say-die attitude. But how will he fit in to Brendan Rodgersâ style of play?
"At Hoffenheim they play a 4-2-3-1, a 4-3-3 and sometimes a 4-4-2 formation with Firmino at the tip of the diamond," Hoffman said.
"His best position is as a No 10, just behind the main striker, where he can thread his passes through to the main striker."For Brazil, he is the perfect foil for Neymar and I know the head coach Dunga has been very impressed with him. But he is two-footed, so he sometimes plays on the left, where he can cut in and shoot, or play in a team-mate."Hoffman does say that Firmino can get over-excited when scoring goals, leading to problems.
"He likes to come up with new celebrations, like springing in the air or shooting an invisible pistol - and he gets booked a lot. He has received eight yellow cards for removing his shirt while celebrating a goal. He just can't help himself."Hoffmann adds that adjusting to the way of life on Merseyside will also pose no problem for a player who had to grow up at a very young age.
"He has been learning English, and the fact that fellow Brazil team-mate Philippe Coutinho is at Liverpool will be a great help to him. But he is adaptable. He learnt German when here and he once told me he had to leave his family at 15 to travel 3,000km to Figuierense, in the south of Brazil, to try and make it in football."He didn't see his family for two years but that was maybe the making of him. It helped him when he had to move to Germany and so settling in England will be no problem."http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/news/news/2015-16/jun/270615-liverpool-signing-roberto-firmino-can-be-world-beater.html 
