Brazil great Rivaldo has hailed Liverpool's Roberto Firmino for being the first of his compatriots to reach 50 Premier League goals, but backed himself to have done the same if he'd ever made the move to England.
Firmino clocked up half a century of top-flight strikes for the Reds when he scored Liverpool's third goal in their 3-0 win at Burnley before the international break, as Jurgen Klopp's side maintained their 100 per cent record this season.
And while Rivaldo was full of praise for the 27-year-old Champions League winner - who has started the season in fine form - he says that he could have clocked up 50 goals in England if he'd signed for Manchester United when he had the chance.
“Roberto Firmino has become the first Brazilian player to reach 50 goals on Premier League and I must congratulate him for that achievement,” Rivaldo told Betfair .
“He is a player of great personality, with a particular taste for scoring goals and also very clever on his movements near the opposite goal.
“He didn't play in the starting 11 at the last World Cup but looks like he will have a good chance of starring for his country in 2022 because he is a top forward.
“Perhaps if I had signed for Manchester United when I had the opportunity, I could have achieved something similar to what Firmino is doing at Liverpool .
“Of course, it would depend on the time spent there. But I did shape my style from a creative player, who only assisted others, into someone who could also score regularly.
“In five seasons with Barcelona I scored 130 goals, so why couldn't I have scored 50 or so in England? I think it would have been possible after four or five seasons there.”
United were strongly linked with a move for Rivaldo in 2001, with Sir Alex Ferguson a known admirer.
