Following an impressive eight-year tenure at Anfield, where he netted 111 goals and provided 75 assists in 392 appearances, Firmino bid farewell to the club in June 2023.
Brazil forward Roberto Firmino revealed that his departure from Liverpool was due to a last-minute substitution.AdvertisementAdvertisementHe stated in a new book: "The straw that broke the camel’s back was a match against Wolves, in which I came on as a substitute in the last minute. That was it. Right there, I understood.
"As we say in Brazil, the penny dropped. I knew now. I called my agents. Roger Wittmann and Christian Rapp met with me for a face-to-face talk. We left the living room and went to my room: just me, Christian, Roger and Larissa, no distractions. Christian and Roger were perfectly transparent about everything that was happening and the club’s view of my future.
"It wasn’t a war. It was just a difference in understanding about what I could offer to Liverpool. I reflected a lot and realized that God’s plan was to take me somewhere else. The signs were all there since that conversation with Pastor Daniel in Maceio. I had been stubborn.
"God didn’t want me to stay in Liverpool, but I was insisting. I didn’t listen. But I couldn’t avoid it any more. It was time to accept. I decided it was time to seek another challenge for myself, another purpose. My time at Liverpool had come to an end."