2 months ago
13
ARTICLE AD BOX
Alisson Becker's mum, Magali Lino de Souza Becker, was a goalkeeper in handball at school. His late father, Jose Agostinho Becker, played between the posts for his work team.
His great-grandfather was a keeper in amateur football in Novo Hamburgo in Brazil, while his older brother Muriel started out in goal at Internacional.
So the Liverpool and Brazil stopper was probably always destined to be a goalkeeper, even though his "role model" brother tried to talk him out of it at one point.
"My brother knew how hard it was to be a goalkeeper and he told me: 'No, go and play striker, play somewhere else - you will suffer too much,'" Alisson told Joe Hart in an interview for Football Focus.
"I did one session in midfield and then said: 'No, not for me.'
“I enjoyed watching him [Muriel] between the posts, diving and making saves. I chose the position as well and love to be a goalkeeper."
Alisson was at Internacional with his brother, who he calls his "biggest inspiration as a keeper, a man, human being, father and husband" but he names Brazil’s Claudio Taffarel, Italy's Gianluigi Buffon and Germany's Manuel Neuer - all World Cup winners - as his idols.
Taffarel has been a goalkeeping coach at Liverpool since November 2021.
"I like to work hard, he knows that and he likes to work hard," said Alisson of the relationship between the pair.
"We have a really good relationship as friends and it makes us harder with each other.
"He is a cool guy. We understand each other in the way we look to each other - [he is] a guy who helps me a lot. He is a model as person and having him on my side, I am so lucky."
Alisson's journey took him from Internacional in his homeland to Roma in Italy and on to Liverpool in 2018.
His honours with the Reds include the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Club World Cup. A devout Christian, he puts his success down to his faith and work ethic.
"My main motivation is not the prizes, the trophies - my motivations come from inside," said the 31-year-old, who is expected to return to the Liverpool side for Saturday's Premier League trip to Wolves (17:30 BST) following a two-game absence.
"My faith in God makes me work hard and better and want to be the best in what I do because I believe everything I do is a way to praise God. Winning trophies and awards makes me happy, but my motivation comes from inside, my family."
Alisson has made 268 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions, with 205 in the Premier League.
Since his top-flight debut on 12 August 2018, the Brazilian has prevented more goals in the Premier League than any other keeper, according to Opta's figures on the metric.
Alisson has also kept 89 Premier League clean sheets, with only Manchester City keeper and compatriot Ederson managing more (97) in that time.
"I think it just some inner thing," said Alisson. "The main part is hard work. I always like to improve myself. When I do a season that is my best season, this is the standard I need to go further.
"I like to focus on good positioning. If you have that, you are one step in front of the opponent. If you can act before [having to] react, it is better. I try to read the game as well, read the striker, look at his movements.
"I try to stay focused and looking at the ball. This makes me move the way I move and play the way I play.
"Here at Liverpool, I improved my one-to-one so much because we had so many one-v-one situations. I can react quickly because of the way I train. The best is still to come."
Arne Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool boss in the summer and Alisson, along with his team-mates, have bought into the Dutchman's vision and methods.
Part of Slot's training regime involves his keeper training more with the outfield players as the new manager, Alisson says, "wants to play more from on the floor to build up from the back".
"We were great before but Arne is bringing to us a new energy and knowledge," said Alisson. "He is a really smart manager and he is helping us a lot. You can see from how we are playing now.
"We are committed to the plan and can see it is a good plan. We still have a lot to improve but we are in the right direction. We have a big gap to reach for our best but we are doing well so far."
Liverpool have won six of Slot's first seven matches in charge, and Alisson is keen to carry on being a part of his set-up.
"I am committed to this club 100% and that involves being part of the leadership group," added Alisson, who recently said he turned down a move to Saudi Arabia in the summer.
"We have a lot of young players, new players coming in, a completely new staff. When we changed, not everything was going wrong. The challenge for us was to keep the good things, pass these things to the staff and the players coming in, and embrace the good stuff that the new staff are bringing.
"It was a big challenge for this leadership group and I really believe we are doing quite well. We are sharing the responsibility and telling the young players they need to step up as well. This club is special and the people who work here are special."
Listen to the full interview on a BBC Sounds Football Daily podcast special, and watch the interview on Football Focus on Saturday 28 September, both from 12:00 BST.
English (US)