“Please, please, please, please don’t disrespect Firmino.”
Gary Neville wasn’t having it.
During a discussion with Jamie Carragher comparing Kai Havertz and Roberto Firmino, Neville immediately pushed back on the idea that the Arsenal forward could be compared favourably with Liverpool’s legendary Brazilian.
And honestly?
I’m with Gary on this one.
Don’t disrespect Bobby Firmino
Let’s get one thing straight.
Kai Havertz is a very good footballer.
But Roberto Firmino was something completely different.
For Liverpool supporters, Bobby wasn’t simply a striker who scored goals.
He was the player who made everything around him work.
He dropped into midfield.
He linked the play.
He pressed defenders relentlessly.
He created space for Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané.
He scored important goals.
And, perhaps most importantly, he understood exactly what Liverpool needed from him.
Firmino was the glue that held that attack together.
The numbers don’t tell the whole story
This is where comparisons like this can become slightly unfair.
If you’re simply looking at goals and asking which player has been more prolific, you can build an argument around different players.
But watching Firmino at his best was about much more than the final numbers.
He could receive the ball between the lines, turn, bring others into play and then suddenly appear inside the penalty area.
Opposing defenders didn’t know whether to follow him or hold their position.
And while they were trying to work it out, Salah or Mané would be attacking the space behind them.
That was the beauty of Liverpool’s front three.
Firmino made Salah and Mané better.
And that’s an enormous part of his legacy.
Havertz is a different type of player
I don’t want this to become an article attacking Havertz.
He’s a talented player and has developed into an important player for Arsenal.
But comparing him with Firmino doesn’t mean they are identical footballers.
Havertz has his own strengths.
He’s tall, intelligent with his movement and capable of contributing in several attacking positions.
But Firmino?
Bobby had that footballing intelligence that was incredibly difficult to replicate.
He could play as a false nine but still give Liverpool a genuine goal threat.
He could drop deep without leaving the team toothless in the box.
He could press from the front.
He could combine with Salah, Mané, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson.
And he could produce those ridiculous moments of skill that became part of his identity.
And look at what Firmino achieved
This is another reason why I think Neville has a point.
Firmino wasn’t just good for a few months.
He was central to one of the greatest Liverpool teams of the modern era.
Premier League champion.
Champions League winner.
FA Cup winner.
League Cup winner.
Club World Cup winner.
And he scored 100 goals for Liverpool across all competitions.
That is some legacy.
He wasn’t a passenger in those teams either.
He was one of the reasons they became so good.
“Bobby Dazzler”
Liverpool supporters gave him so many nicknames over the years.
But perhaps the most fitting was simply Bobby.
There was something about Firmino that made you smile.
The no-look passes.
The outrageous flicks.
The pressing.
The celebrations.
The famous teeth.
And, of course, the grin.
He played football with joy.
You could see how much he enjoyed being part of that Liverpool team.
Carragher knows exactly how good Firmino was
And I suspect Jamie Carragher would understand the Liverpool side of this argument better than most.
He played with Firmino.
He watched him train.
He watched him work alongside Salah and Mané.
And he saw first-hand how much Firmino contributed beyond the goals.
That’s why comparisons involving Firmino need a little more context.
You aren’t just comparing two forwards.
You’re comparing players who can have very different effects on a team.
Could Havertz ever reach Firmino’s level?
That’s a completely different question.
Maybe Havertz can continue improving.
Maybe he can become an even more influential player.
But Firmino has already left an enormous legacy.
And Liverpool supporters don’t remember him simply because of how many goals he scored.
We remember what the team looked like when he was playing.
We remember the way he connected everything.
We remember Salah and Mané running beyond him.
We remember the pressing.
We remember the trophies.
We remember those big Champions League nights.
And we remember that front three.
So yes, Gary Neville…
Please don’t disrespect Firmino.
I’m not saying Havertz isn’t a top player.
I’m saying that Roberto Firmino deserves his flowers.
He was one of the most intelligent, selfless and technically gifted forwards I’ve ever seen play for Liverpool.
And when you consider everything he contributed to that incredible era under Jurgen Klopp, I’d be very careful before putting anyone in the same conversation.
Bobby Firmino was special.
And Liverpool supporters will never forget him.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
I have original Bobby Firmino shirt . I think he was the most Intelligent player with Stevie G, Liverpool ever had in modern era
Lucky you, and he was brilliant 👍
I remember a very early Klopp press conference after they signed Firmino, where he said something like, “I know this player,” except not in the “we’re buddies” sense, but in the “very few of you know how good this player is,” given he probably gave Jurgen fits when playing for Hoffenheim while Klopp was at Dortmund.
Bobby gave lots of opponents fits, in various parts of the field, and in a variety of ways. You did a fine job documenting them, from the flair and unique imagination to the tireless hounding of center backs and holding midfielders. No one sneaked around as effectively as him as a #9 while being an amazingly tidy tackler.
For all his defensive interventions, steals, and duels won, he got tagged for 15 yellow cards in 256 Premier League matches for Liverpool (unless AI is lying to me). How many of those are from celebrations where he pulled off his shirt?
The guy was clean, like his glimmering teeth. He’d stick a foot in, but he’d barely leave a mark. Just smooth, unlike Havertz in that way, who is a gangly scrapper instead of a Golden Samba winner like Bobby.
Terrific player, so underrated