In a previously unpublished excerpt from his recently released biography, Si Senor: My Liverpool Years, Roberto Firmino discusses the moment he informed Jurgen Klopp that he would be leaving the team.

From “Si Senor: My Years in Liverpool”:

The match against Wolves, where I was substituted in the final minute, was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It was that. That’s when I understood. In Brazilian vernacular, “the penny dropped.”

Now I knew.

I gave my agents a call. I had in-person meetings with Roger Wittmann and Christian Rapp. After leaving the living area, Christian, Roger, Larissa, and I were alone in my room with no outside interruptions. Roger and Christian were really open and honest about everything that was going on and how the club saw me going forward.

There was no conflict. All that was different was the perception of what I could bring to Liverpool.

After giving it some serious thought, I saw that God had other plans for me. Ever since that conversation in Maceio with Pastor Daniel, the indicators had all been there. I had been unyielding.

I was adamant about staying in Liverpool even though God didn’t want me to. I was unresponsive. But I was unable to escape it any longer. It has to be acknowledged. I made the decision that it was time to look for a new challenge and purpose for myself. I was leaving Liverpool at the end of my stay.

I wanted to wrap up the story properly because it had been such a lovely one. We are incredibly appreciative of everything that we went through in England; my family and I were able to realize all of our dreams.

It was all really emotional; we had the greatest successes and joys. Furthermore, we didn’t want to depart feeling resentful, angry, or bitter.

I would say, “I’m not staying,” if it was difficult for them to utter. I’m going. I would decide to quit for the benefit of everyone if they truly weren’t sure whether to extend my contract or if they didn’t know what to do.

We eventually arrived on March 3, 2023. Using my phone, I composed the message to Klopp by myself, letting my emotions lead my writing.

I then headed to my training.

I went to the boss’s office after the meeting to see if his assistant was available. Klopp was sipping his coffee behind his desk as I walked into the room.

“I think I know what you want to talk about,” he added, glancing at me. I doubt that he was aware. Perhaps he assumed that I would be whining about not receiving enough minutes. Maybe he was aware that the subject might be my leaving. In my hand was my phone. I took out the “Meeting” note.

I didn’t even have to read it, though. I had practiced my speech so much that I had committed it to memory. It was out of my mouth in a matter of seconds, yet it felt like an eternity. We were only talking for five minutes at most.

Certain things are out of my control. “I can’t control everything,” the Boss remarked. He made a snap decision to accept the outcome. I kept thinking that he would insist that I stay. I didn’t want to go back on the choice I had already taken, guided by God. It was challenging enough to get this far.

I didn’t want the same thing to happen to me as he had battled to keep my friend Philippe Coutinho a few years before. Now that I had come to terms with the inevitable, I made the decision I had always wanted to make.

No, Klopp didn’t press the issue. It appeared as though he had already realized or accepted the concept at that precise time. An extension would not be granted. It had ended.

I gave the Boss a tremendous deal of praise, declared him to be the best coach I had ever worked with, and expressed my gratitude for the chance he had given me at Liverpool. It was the most sentimental part of the discourse, and I believe he felt uncomfortable.

He immediately said that he wasn’t ready to say goodbye. Ultimately, the season lasted for three more months. That’s also what I intended to say.

The message I had scribbled on my phone was that I needed to press on and fight until the very end. Despite everything, our attitude remained the same as we parted ways. “Bobby, let’s wait a minute.” We’ll say our goodbyes later.

Football was to be played. Shaking hands, I walked out of the room.