Roberto Firmino: the Brazilian attacker secured a 1–0 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt on 16 April 2011 with his first Bundesliga goal. When he moved from Brazil to Hoffenheim, the local Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung called him a sporting misfire and the four million euros paid to Figueirense overpriced. Yet he quickly became both comfortable in Sinsheim and invaluable on the pitch.
Over four years he scored 38 goals in 140 Bundesliga appearances, often from midfield. His speed and eye for goal turned him into Hoffenheim’s most valuable attacker. When Liverpool came calling, he moved to England.
The 41 million euro sale was then Hoffenheim’s biggest transfer ever, and sporting director Alexander Rosen later told Spiegel that the club depended on transfers like that to generate revenue and secure economic sustainability.