Roberto Firmino made a career out of his flashy moves for the cameras. His no-look passes, tricky feet and occasional flamboyant cuts, everything made him a fan favourite everywhere he went, no more so than Liverpool.
Seeing him switching to Al-Hilal jersey was a painful experience for the Kops but now seeing him in a Burney jersey is rather a confusing one.
Roberto Firmino recently posted a picture on his Instagram story. In the off-season, Bobby was keeping himself sharp in the gym. But the actual story was somewhere else; his jersey.
Firmino was donning a yellow kit, but not of Brazil. It was the away jersey of Burnley from the 2023-24 season, the yellow one with a red and black stripe on the left side.
Naturally, social media started speculating. Is he coming back to England? Or is someone from Burnley joining him in Saudi Arabia?
But no, none of those can be confirmed. What can be confirmed is his friendship with Burnley’s full back, Vitinho. Firmino wearing the Clarets thread was nothing but a sign of comradery with his fellow Brazilian.
At club level the two have never played together and neither have they played in the national team. Firmino is 34 yo and Vitinho is yet to get his Brazil call up.
But Vitinho played for Brazil’s U-20 squad and was given the opportunity to train with the senior team under previous head coach Tite in 2018.
During that time Firmino was a regular face in the Brazilian national team. And this is where his friendship with Vitinho began.
‘Being called up to the Brazilian national team is my main goal. I will achieve that. I know it. I have to play well at Burnley, help my team and then I’m sure I’ll be picked,’ said Vitinho in an interview last year. He is yet to achieve that but that’s a work under progress.
Despite leaving England in 2023, the duo are still in touch. The evidence was provided by Bobby Firmino earlier this year. The striker took to social media to post a picture where he was seen posing beside Vitinho and many others.
Apart from this picture, there’s no other picture on the internet that bears proof of their friendship. Both the players like to keep their relationship private and their social media handle is only about their professional lives and families.
But how is Firmino’s family doing in Saudi Arabia? Is a return to England on the cards for Firmino? That possibility cannot be written off entirely as rumours of his switching colours are circulating just like it did back in the January transfer window. So if Firmino ends up at Turf Moor next season don’t be shocked entirely.
