Hoffenheim scout Lutz Pfannenstiel has revealed that the Bundesliga outfit discovered Roberto Firmino’s talent through computer game Football Manager.
The 25-year-old forward, who has 12 international caps for Brazil, is enjoying his best spell in front of goal for Premier League side Liverpool this season having scored six goals and provided six assists in 12 appearances in all competitions for The Reds so far this season.
Firmino, who arrived at Anfield from Hoffenheim back in June 2015 following his £29m switch, was bought by the German club for a reported £3.5m back in January 2011 from Brazilian side Figueirense.
Photo: Charlotte Wilson / Offside.
But speaking to talkSPORT, via the Daily Mail, scout Pfannenstiel told presenter Paul Hawksebee that Hoffenheim scouted Firmino through Football Manager’s database.
Hawksebee asked, “Lutz, you were saying with Firmino, you and a colleague found him [on Football Manager], did all the work on it and he went to Hoffenheim for £3.5m quid?”
He replied, “Yeah, £3.5m roughly.
“In the end we sold him for €42m plus [future] payments, so in the end I think we did it right. I think it’s good scouting, definitely.”
Firmino has scored 17 goals in 61 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool overall.
