Roberto Firmino interview: 'I used to sleep with my football when I was a kid. It's good to dream big'

There are two players living inside Roberto Firmino's body.

The Brazilian, one of the key figures in Liverpool's reemergence as a domestic and continental force, is a striker with an eye for the spectacular. But he's also one of the hardest-working footballers out there, tireless in his efforts to help his team-mates.

He is daring but diligent, silky yet self-sacrificing, at once wizard and workhorse.

I got the chance to ask Firmino about this duality in an exclusive interview a couple of months ago. We also talked no-look finishes, people getting his name wrong, idolising Ronaldinho, and Jürgen Klopp's Anfield revolution.

Have a read on the Bleacher Report site.

The best youngsters emerging from Brazil, including 'Little Onion', a classic No.9 and the second coming of Ramires

Scouts have to act fast these days, especially those working in Brazil.

Two of the country's most impressive young talents have already agreed big-money deals: Flamengo’s Lucas Paquetá is on his way to AC Milan, and Rodrygo, the latest teen sensation to come through the ever-reliable Santos system, will eventually move to Real Madrid.

But there is still plenty of potential in the Brasileirão if some of the European big boys decide to go shopping in January.

I pick out five of the best up-and-coming talents in my latest for Unibet.

Roberto Firmino, Gabriel Jesus or Richarlison: who deserves to lead the line for Brazil?

After two years of real stability, Brazil's No.9 jersey seems to be up for grabs again.

Gabriel Jesus, the incumbent for the majority of the Tite era, was left out of the squad for friendlies against the USA and El Salvador, following some under-par displays World Cup.

That gave Richarlison a chance to make an impression, and with Roberto Firmino forever pressing his case and Jesus now back in the mix, it's shaping up to be a three-way Premier League battle to lead the line for the Seleção.

I assess each of their chances in my latest for Unibet.

Arise, King Arthur: Midfielder a perfect fit for Barcelona – and will be a key man for Brazil for years to come

For 78 minutes, he set the tempo of the game, probing and plotting from the left side of the central midfield three. Pass, pass, pass; see ya! He yanked the opposition around the pitch like a cat playing with a ball of wool.

Already, Arthur looks like a key cog in the Barcelona side, adding guile, craft and balance. But the Camp Nou love-in is about more than just ability.

It's a question of identity, too; Arthur is no La Masia graduate, but there's something about his game – the low centre of gravity, the 360-degree vision, the unwavering bravery on the ball – that just fits with the Barcelona way.

Read my piece on Arthur's start to life in Europe – and his importance to Brazil – on the Unibet blog.

Explained: Mick Jagger's powerful and long-standing influence on Brazilian football

It was, on the face of it, a nothing story. Brazil were preparing to play Costa Rica at the World Cup, and Rafaella Santos, Neymar's sister, was in the stands. Footballer's sibling watches match: one for the minor celeb pages, at a push, but no more than that.

Yet as kick-off approached, a photo posted by Santos on Instagram from the Saint-Petersburg Stadium started going viral in her homeland. Many saw it as a bad omen – one that the Seleção, who had already failed to beat Switzerland in their opening game, could have done without out. "WHO TOLD HER THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA?" ran one typically energetic response.

Santos' crime? Wearing a Rolling Stones jersey.

In the end, Brazil just about managed to grind out a win, scoring twice in extra time. It was, by common consensus, a lucky escape from one of international football's more nefarious invisible forces.

It's Superstitions Week on The Athletic Soccer, so naturally I wrote about the curse of Mick Jagger.

(NB – you can get 40% off a subscription for a limited time using this link.)

Incremental change for Brazil, but new faces should provide glimpse of the future against USA and El Salvador

Eight years after their last visit to New Jersey, the Seleção are back in town for their first match after the 2018 World Cup.

Some novelty is baked in at the administrative level: in maintaining a sense of calm after a promising but ultimately unsuccessful summer, the CBF is sailing uncharted waters. Tite is the first coach since Cláudio Coutinho in 1978 to stay in the job after leading the Seleção at a World Cup, which can only be regarded as good news given the progress made under his stewardship.

But some new blood is needed, and Tite's squad to face the USA and El Salvador is a promising start on that front. It may time for evolution rather than revolution, but a few fresh faces should bring some youthful bounce to this new era.

Read about Brazil's fresh start in my latest for The Athletic.

Richarlison has the ambition and potential to be a Brazil regular – Everton might actually have got a bargain

"I was anxious ahead of the squad announcement," he said this week. "I watched it with high hopes, but unfortunately it wasn't to be on this occasion.

"But I'm hopeful that an opportunity will come, and I'll be prepared when it does. I'm going to continue working hard to make sure I'm on the list next time. I want to be the league's top scorer, take Everton back to the Champions League and make the Brazil squad."

You could not accuse Richarlison of lacking ambition. And while some scoffed when Everton forked out £40million plus for the Brazilian this summer, even his critics would accept that there's a ridiculous amount of potential there, too.

In my latest for Unibet, I tentatively suggest that the Toffees might have actually got a decent price for a player who is likely to make his mark for his country in the years ahead. Have a read here.