See what they're saying in Arabia after Roberto Firmino's hat-trick

Brazilian attacker Roberto Firmino scored a hat-trick on his Saudi Arabian Football League debut on Friday in Al Ahli's 3-1 win over Al Hazem. The former Liverpool player scored in the sixth, 10th and 72nd minutes. He gave the victory to a team that has signed other big names such as Riyad Mahrez, Allan Saint Maximin, Frank Kessié and Edouard Mendy.

Firmino headed to Saudi Arabia after eight seasons at Anfield, where he scored 111 goals in 362 appearances for the Reds. He won the Premier League and Champions League with the club. Al Ahli, promoted to the elite this season, are considered one of the favourites for the title, alongside Al Nassr, Al Hilal and reigning champions Al Ittihad.

Supported by the country's sovereign wealth fund (PIF), the Saudi Pro League has attracted big names in football in recent months, most notably Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mané. The Saudi Arabian League continues on Matchday 1 this Saturday, Sunday and Monday, this one featuring Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema with Al Nassr and Al Ittihad, two of the league's most high-profile players for this campaign.

Praise for the Brazilian

In view of this performance, both media and fans showed their admiration and respect for Firmino who they even consider as a better reinforcement than Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane on the pitch.