Secrets of the world’s most expensive goalkeeper
THE cliche about Brazilian goalkeepers being a bit duff disintegrated years ago. True, the stoppers in the 1970 and 1982 World Cup teams rarely feature in debates about the best No 1s in history.
But over the last 25 years things began to change. Claudio Taffarel was an indispensable part of the 1994 World Cup-winning side. Nelson Dida and Julio Cesar won three Champions Leagues between them, with AC Milan and Inter respectively.
Of course, despite their sterling work, Dida and Cesar made the odd high-profile gaffe. Liverpool know about goalkeeping errors, and have taken decisive action by recruiting the latest brilliant Brazilian between the posts.
With a name like Alisson Ramses Becker, he was never destined to have an ordinary job. The Anfield club are on the verge of signing the man who gave Gianluigi Buffon a run for his money as Serie A’s best keeper last season.
Alisson, 25, joined AS Roma from Internacional for around £6million in July 2016. He had already made his debut for the Brazil first team and won the Under 20 Toulon tournament in 2013.
But the fine form of Wojciech Szczesny stunted his progress. Although Alisson played in cup competitions, he was frustrated at his lack of league minutes. He later confessed that he considered leaving Roma, but Szczesny’s move to Juventus last summer was a turning point.
Alisson was one of Roma’s standouts in 2017-18. It was a season of transition with key players leaving or retiring, particularly Francesco Totti and Mo Salah, plus a new coach, Eusebio Di Francesco.
But Roma had a campaign to remember, reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 1984. Alisson was crucial, his courage and reflexes making him unbeatable at times.
He was particularly impressive against Atletico Madrid, and was a wall dressed in black when Roma won 4-2 at Napoli in March. Despite his broad, 6ft 3in build, Alisson is extremely agile.
He regularly makes the first save from a powerful shot, and then bounces back up to deny the follow-up. That comes partly from natural athleticism but also tireless work on the training ground.
The Brazilian also possess a surprising array of samba skills with his feet. He became a cult figure at the Stadio Olimpico for his ability to extricate himself from tight spots without using his hands.
The adulation from the Roma fans didn’t go to his head though. Alisson is a very humble man. He is married to a doctor he met while playing for Internacional, and they have a young daughter. In February he told magazine
SportWeek: ‘My wife left Brazil five months after graduating to be with me. That meant a lot. I enjoyed supporting her while she was finishing her studies. And, if you don’t feel well, it’s better to be living with a doctor than a model.’
He also revealed how his status as a sex symbol in Brazil has caused a few embarrassing situations. ‘We went to a restaurant when Internacional won the local championship and there were a lot of female fans trying to get near us. One or two tried to give me a pat on the backside, but my wife intervened to block them.’
Jurgen Klopp has identified a quality keeper as the next part of his masterplan, and he won’t find many better than Alisson, who keeps Manchester City’s Ederson on the bench on national duty.
Brazilian journalist and broadcaster Andersinho Marques says: ‘Alisson is dynamic on the pitch, but relaxed off it. He enjoys playing the guitar and listens to sertaneja music (a folk style with rural origins). He drinks chimarrao tea. Last season was only his first as a starting keeper in Europe, so it’s too early to put him alongside Taffarel, Dida and Cesar. But I think he can become a leader.’