Roberto Firmino gave an extremely rare post-match interview following Liverpool's emphatic 7-1 win against Rangers –– and many fans got to hear him speak English for the very first time.
The Brazilian forward, who joined Liverpool from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim in 2015 for a reported £29 million, has been a shining light for Jurgen Klopp's side in an otherwise disappointing start to the 2022/23 campaign.
And after netting six times in seven Premier League games, Firmino walked away from Ibrox with a brace as goals from Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah [3] and Harvey Elliott completed the rout.
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In the aftermath of Wednesday night's Champions League clash in Glasgow, fans were delighted when Firmino was called to give a post-match interview. You can see that chat with UEFA below.
The 31-year-old opened up about a conversation he had with the Liverpool bench after Mohamed Salah bagged his first goal in the 75th minute.
"Amazing," he said after being asked about the Egyptian forward's hat-trick. "When he scored, I tell David on the bench he will score a hat-trick one hundred percent. I can feel on the bench what he did and I'm so happy for him."
Firmino's interview was the talk of the town amongst Liverpool fans. One fan said: "That's the first time in seven years that I've heard Firmino speak English," while another wrote: "His English is very good. I spoke to him for a good 10-15 minutes in work one time, he understood everything and replied to everything."
A third commented: "Getting substituted twice while on the verge of a hat-trick yet giving this interview shows only his quality as a person."
Firmino, who is Liverpool's top goalscorer with eight goals in 12 games in all competitions, was praised by Michael Owen after the final whistle.
The former Reds forward said Jurgen Klopp must start the Brazilian for this weekend's clash against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City.
He told BT Sport: "The biggest game in the Premier League is this weekend. I can't imagine he's not playing. He's already had such a good season, recent form, I don't think Jurgen Klopp can leave him out."
Firmino, meanwhile, praised Klopp's influence in a recent interview.
"Having him with us today is amazing," the Brazil international told the Liverpool Echo. "He never stops giving me advice. He's a massive father figure for me here at Liverpool. I'm so grateful to play under and be coached by a great leader.
"I thank him for everything I've learned. I will always be highly complimentary for everything he's done for me and also the club.
"Whenever we came up against Dortmund, Jurgen would routinely be in the middle of the pitch closely observing opposition players warm up. I'd look at him and think: 'What's going on, is he trying to intimidate us?'
"I found it interesting and it was always great to come up against that Dortmund team."
Thoughts on Firmino's recent form for Liverpool?
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Topics: Roberto Firmino, Liverpool, Brazil, Rangers, Champions League
Jack Kenmare