Firmino: From the "Three Red Arrows" to the AFC Champions League Championship, the football life behind the end of Saudi Arabia s career!

Jeddah National Firmino

On May 14, 2025, the Jeddah National President announced a friendly termination agreement with Firmino. The 33-year-old Brazilian striker is about to end his two and a half years of Saudi career after leading the team to win the AFC Champions League and being elected as MVP.

From the core of Liverpool's "Three Red Arrows" to the maximum-paid leader of the Middle East rich team, Firmino's career has always been accompanied by controversy and turning points.

Liverpool era: The legendary background forged by merit

Joined Liverpool from Hoffenheim for 4 million euros in January 2011, Firmino wrote a counterattack script with 14 and a half years of overseas career. In Anfield's 362 games, he contributed 111 goals and 76 assists, and the "Three Red Arrows" formed with Salah and Mane became one of the most terrifying forward combinations in European football.

Liverpool Trident

Honorary Slam

2019 Champions League Championship, 2020 Premier League Championship, and seven trophies including the Club World Cup, FA Cup, and League Cup. Firmino is the first Brazilian player in Liverpool's history to score in the Champions League final.

Tactical Value

As a fulcrum center, he has both points and tandem ability, and contributes a maximum of 22 goals and 11 assists in a single season (2018-19 season), and is called "the tactical fulcrum of movement" by Klopp.

Saudi Arabia gambled: The gap behind the annual salary of 20 million

Firmino switched to Jeddah Nationals

Joined Jeddah Nationals in the summer window in 2023, and Firmino became the maximum-salary player in the Saudi League with an annual salary of 20 million euros.

The initial performance is still good: 5 goals in 17 games in the 2023-24 season, 6 goals and 7 assists in the 2024-25 AFC Champions League in 12 games, and led the team to win the championship and be elected as MVP. But the turning point of fate came unexpectedly: after the team signed Galeno in the winter window, the foreign aid quota was full, Firmino was removed from the league list and could only play in the AFC Champions League. Although he contributed 6 goals and 7 assists in 12 games in the AFC Champions League, the marginalization of the league has made him lose his tactical position.

High salary question

Saudi media estimates that its annual salary accounts for 30% of the team's salary expenditure, but the decline in league data (9 goals and 5 assists in 25 games) has triggered management criticism of its "pension" attribute.

Jeddah Nationals' termination decision reflects the deep contradictions in the Middle East League: the imbalance between competition and business

Saudi teams have been crazily signing players (such as Ronaldo and Neymar), but the league's competitiveness has not improved significantly. Firmino's departure formed a chain reaction with Neymar's removal from Riyadh Crescent, revealing the common problem of "high salary and inefficiency".

Clash between age and system{33-year-old Firmino has difficulty in transformation, while the Saudi League is more inclined to cultivate local new stars (such as Galeno). The club's sports director bluntly said: "We need players who can inject vitality into youth training, rather than relying solely on superstars." Although the Saudi league has been bullish on gold, some teams have begun to shrink their spending due to the fluctuations in the oil economy. Firmino's termination clause (not disclosed) may become a key bargaining chip in negotiations between the two parties.

The future destination: Europe or Brazil?

Although there is one year left in the contract, Firmino has made it clear that he is willing to leave the team without dispute. There are two possibilities for his potential next company:

Return to Europe

Turkish Super League giant Fenerbahce once failed to make a purchase. If he joins as a free agent, he may become Mourinho's "experience mentor" in the tactical system.

Fallen Leaves Return to the Root

Brazilian media disclosed that Brazilian teams such as Flamengo and Botafogo have extended their olive branches, and Firmino is expected to continue his career as a "oldering student".

Firmino's Saudi career is full of drama: he created the history of the AFC Champions League (the first player to have both the Champions League and the AFC Champions League), but became a "spectator" of the league due to registration issues.

But it is undeniable that he achieved a "Grand Slam" in his career - from the top European leagues to the intercontinental championship, and then to the ultimate top of the tycoon stage in the Middle East.

As the Guardian commented: "He may not be the last superstar, but he must be the first Brazilian to write a legend in Saudi Arabia."

When Firmino bid farewell to the Jeddah nationals, what he left to the football world was not only the AFC trophy, but also a complex proposition about capital, competition and life choices.