Salah and Mané Pay Tribute to Roberto Firmino

It’s safe to say that the combined trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané, and Roberto Firmino were, for a time, the best forward line in all of world football. The three of them formed an incredible unit, with all of their strengths complementing each others. Together they achieved everything it’s possible to achieve in club football, and the golden period of time playing side by side will be revered by Liverpool fans.

Mané was the first of the trio to leave, signaling a changing of the guard as manager Jürgen Klopp brought in new, younger talent to replace and reform this attack. Now Firmino, once the eclectic, feared tip of the spear, is moving on after an illustrious career as a Red.

Both Salah and Mané paid homage to Firmino in the club’s three-part series honoring him, simply called Bobby.

“I think [it’s] his ability to do everything in the game and also to sacrifice himself for the team,” says Salah.

“He just plays for the team. He doesn’t really care about scoring that much, he just wants to enjoy his game and just play football and wants the team to win. I think he’s one of the ones [who has] been loved the most because everybody likes him. He’s really calm, always smiling. And as I said before, when you see someone sacrifice himself for the team, you see everybody loves him here.”

Firmino had many spells over the years when he wasn’t scoring, but instead doing everything but, taking care of the dirty work to help his teammates take the glory.

Mané took time off of his schedule at Bayern Munich to praise his former partner.

“I think we did incredible things together. I am so grateful. I think Bobby is a special player. For me, wow, what a No.9,” he said.

“I learned a lot from him myself because sometimes when I’m not playing, on the bench or whatever, he knows me. He tells me to stay calm, he knows me... stay calm, positive, no problem. This kind of person is not easy to find... in the pitch, out of the pitch, I learned a lot from him.”

There aren’t many players who’ve made the sort of impact Firmino has with the fans, his teammates, and across three managers. He’s a personality that will be missed next season, but one who will leave with nothing but best wishes from everyone involved with the club.