Roberto Firmino has revealed that he and his compatriots who play for Manchester City engage in banter over the title race when away on international duty.
The Liverpool striker lines up alongside Ederson, Fernandinho, Gabriel Jesus, and Danilo when representing Brazil, and has admitted that there is plenty of gentle ribbing when they come together.
Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: “We don’t really talk about it by text but we do when we are together in the Brazilian squad.
“When we met up not long ago we were always talking about it but in a friendly, joking way.”
OPINION
It must be incredibly weird for a footballer to have to put aside their club allegiances and line up alongside a group of players that they are intent on beating every other week the year. Perhaps stranger still is the fact that they are able to laugh and joke about that rivalry. It would make for a pretty horrendous atmosphere of they couldn’t, of course, but it does show that when all is said and done, football isn’t life or death. Try telling that the the Liverpool fans craving a first league title in 29 years though. For them, there isn’t much else that matter more right now, and they will just be hoping that Firmino, and Alisson and Fabinho for that matter, have the bragging rights the next time that the Brazilians meet up for international duty. The alternative is far too devastating to even consider after coming so agonisingly close.
