How a dentist changed Roberto Firmino's career

Today, Roberto Firmino is a world class player but he may never have even made a career in football if it wasn’t for a dentist.








When Firmino was 15 years old, he played for Clube de Regatas in Brazil. He had potential but he was shy and often overlooked by coaches, that’s until a dentist named Marcellus Portella saw him play.

The dentist said “When I saw him play for the first time, I could see that he was a very talented player but no one was interested in him. When I said that one day he would represent the national team, they told me I was crazy.”


Portella really believed in Firmino and he began travelling around South American. He would try and get clubs to give Firmino a chance, always believing that if someone saw what he did Firmino would be a superstar.






In 2009, he joined Figueirense, another Brazilian club, two years later he signed for Hoffenheim in Germany and there, he scored 45 goals in 66 games. He made his Brazil debut in November 2014 and Portella’s belief was vindicated. Today, Firmino is one of the most skillful and exiciting players in the world.