First a hat-trick in a closed doors game and now this.
It’s been a good week if you’re Roberto Firmino, as the former Hoffenheim player has found himself in illustrious company on a new UEFA shortlist of the best players playing on the continent.
And we don’t mean beside Adam Lallana either.
The Brazilian is named on a 35-man UEFA shortlist along with players such as Ronaldo and Javier Mascherano.
The 23-year-old was joint-28th alongside with Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic, Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid and Barca new boy Arda Turan.
And joint-28th means joint-last but sshhh.
The list is based on performances from last season, but unfortunately there is no chance that the forward will win the top gong.
Only three players are in with a chance of that huge honour, and of course they are they are Messi, Suarez and Ronaldo representing Real Madrid, who all got the top votes from various football journalists.
The final vote will be announced on August 27th.
The full list is :
4 Gianluigi Buffon
5 Neymar
6 Eden Hazard
7 Andrea Pirlo
8 Arturo Vidal
9 Carlos Tévez
10 Paul Pogba
11 Arjen Robben
12 Manuel Neuer
13 Carlos Bacca
14 Andrés Iniesta
14 Álvaro Morata
14 Thomas Müller
17 Kevin De Bruyne
18 Zlatan Ibrahimović
19 Gareth Bale
19 André-Pierre Gignac
21 Robert Lewandowski
21 Ivan Rakitić
23 Jérôme Boateng
23 Xavi Hernández
23 Jackson Martínez
23 Javier Mascherano
23 Alexis Sánchez
28 Giorgio Chiellini
28 Roberto Firmino
28 Nemanja Matić
28 Arkadiusz Milik
28 Nicolás Otamendi
28 Sergio Ramos
28 Marc-André ter Stegen
28 Arda Turan
H/T Liverpool Echo
