Roberto Firmino has expressed his gratitude to his former club Hoffenheim as he leaves for Liverpool after spending five seasons with the Bundesliga outfit.

Firmino, who was 19 when he signed for Hoffenheim in the middle of the 2010/11 season, has reflected on his time with the German club and thanked the club for helping him adapt and settle in unfamiliar territory.




"I was only 19 when I came to Hoffenheim", said the Brazilian to Hoffenheim’s official website.

"Everything was new to me – a strange country, a foreign language. That was not easy at the beginning. Europe was a big adventure to me and of course I had my doubts.”
 


The 23-year-old, who made his Brazil debut last year when he was still at Hoffenheim, believes his all-round development at his former club was key to achieving his “dream” of playing for the national team.

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"I developed as a player and as a person. By working hard at Hoffenheim, I made it into the Selecao. That is a dream come true to me and I know who I owe gratitude to.

"A lot of people believed in me during times when things did not go perfectly. I will keep my time at Hoffenheim and the people I met here in my heart forever”, he added.

Firmino left Hoffenheim last month for Liverpool in a Bundesliga record transfer worth €41m. The Brazilian is yet to join his new club-mates at the Anfield club as he is on an extended break following his exploits in the Copa America with Brazil.