Liverpool forward attends court hearing with wife

Liverpool footballer Roberto Firmino attended a court hearing for his drink-driving case with his wife Larissa Pereira on Wednesday, February 1.

Firmino was given a one-year ban from the road and fined £20,000 after admitting to drink-driving at the Liverpool Magistrates' Court.

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The 25-year-old who earns £100,000-a-week at Liverpool was pictured arriving and leaving the Liverpool Magistrates' Court with his wife Larissa Pereira.

The Brazil international was stopped by police while he was driving his Range Rover in Liverpool city centre in the early hours of Christmas Eve, December 24.

In mitigation, his lawyer Michael Hogan argued that the incident happened a day after the footballer's family home was raided by targeted by burglars and that the situation might have led to the forward drink-driving.

Firmino’s house was reportedly watched for a number of days before it was eventually raided on Sunday, December 22.

The forward lost more than £70,000-worth of jewellery, watches and clothes.

The robbers struck when the Brazilian, his wife and two children left the house.

“The day before he was stopped by police, he and his family were targeted by a group of criminals who were intent on breaking into his house and robbing them of their precious belongings,” Hogan said.

“He was preoccupied and he accepts he should have kept a closer eye on what he had to drink.”

According to the judge in charge of the case, Judge Miriam Shelvey, the £20,000 fine was based on his weekly wage with discounts for his guilty plea and mitigation.

Firmino was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a £170 victim surcharge and his driving ban could be reduced to nine months if he took a course.

After the hearing, the former Hoffenheim released a statement apologising for his action.

“I apologise, without reservation, to the club, the manager, my team-mates and the supporters for putting myself in this situation. What I have done is wrong and sets a bad example," the forward said.

“I promise to everyone in the LFC family that I will learn from this mistake, learn from this experience, and not repeat it in the future.”

Liverpool have also confirmed that the player has been punished internally by the club.