*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:10, 19 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:06, 8 June 2024 (UTC)
Álisson Ramsés Becker (born 2 October 1992), known as Alisson Becker or simply Alisson, is a Brazilian professional
footballer who plays as a
goalkeeper for
Premier League club
Liverpool and the
Brazil national team. Regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world,[4] he is known for his shot stopping, distribution and ability in one-on-one situations.
Alisson represented Brazil at various youth levels before making his senior international debut in 2015. He represented the nation at the
FIFA World Cup in
2018 and
2022, and the
Copa América in
2016,
2019 and
2021, winning the 2019 tournament while also being named its best goalkeeper.
Club career
Internacional
Born in
Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul,[7] Alisson joined
Internacional's academy in 2002, aged ten.[5][8] Having progressed through the youth set up, he featured regularly with the under-23 side, before making his senior debut on 17 February 2013, starting in a 1–1 away draw against
Cruzeiro-RS in the
Campeonato Gaúcho championship.[9] His
Série A debut followed on 25 August 2013 when he started in a 3–3 home draw against
Goiás.[10] A backup to his brother
Muriel and competing for second-choice with
Agenor, he finished
his first season with six appearances.[5]
The following year, Alisson found himself competing with Brazilian legend
Dida, who had joined Internacional from
Grêmio. He earned a starting berth in October and finished
the year with 11 league appearances to his name.[11] He was an undisputed starter in
the following year during which he amassed 57 appearances across all competitions. On 4 February 2016, Alisson signed a pre-contract with Italian club
Roma, signing a five-year deal for a €7.5 million fee.[12] He played his last game for Internacional on 15 May 2016, keeping a
clean sheet in a 0–0 home draw against
Chapecoense.[13] During his four years with Internacional's senior side, Alisson made over 100 appearances across all competitions and won the Campeonato Gaúcho title in each season.[5]
Roma
Alisson completed his transfer to Italian
Serie A club Roma in July 2016.[14] He made his debut for the club on 17 August 2016, starting in a 1–1
UEFA Champions League draw with
Porto, but spent the majority of the season as understudy to
Wojciech Szczęsny.[15] He ultimately made 15 appearances across all competitions from the season but failed to feature in any league fixtures. Szczęsny departed at the start of the following campaign for
Juventus, which saw Alisson assume the
number one jersey. He later revealed that he would have considered leaving Roma had he not been guaranteed more first-team football.[16]
Alisson finally made his Serie A debut on the opening weekend of the
2017–18 Serie A campaign, starting in a 1–0 win over
Atalanta.[17] He then made his first appearance in the
Derby della Capitale on 18 November, starting in a 2–1 win over local rivals
Lazio.[18] He was praised for his performances in the
2017–18 Champions League, and played a key role in the club's campaign in which they reached the semi-finals.[19][20] The club didn't concede a single goal at the
Stadio Olimpico in the Champions League, until the match against
Liverpool in the semi-finals on 2 May 2018, which they won 4–2 on the night, but lost 7–6 on aggregate.[21] Alisson received praise for his performances throughout the
2017–18 season.[22] He kept a total of 22 clean sheets across the 2017–18 season, keeping 17 clean sheets in the league and 5 clean sheets in the Champions League.[23][24]
Liverpool
2018–19: Champions League title
On 19 July 2018, Liverpool confirmed the signing of Alisson for a fee of £66.8 million (€72.5 million), making him the
most expensive goalkeeper of all time.[25][26][27][28] However, the fee was broken just four weeks later when
Chelsea signed
Kepa Arrizabalaga for a reported £71.6 million (€80 million).[29] On 10 August, Liverpool confirmed via their official website that he would wear the vacant number 13 shirt in the
2018–19 season.[30]
Alisson made his debut for Liverpool on 12 August, keeping a clean sheet in a 4–0 win over
West Ham United.[31] He received praise for his subsequent performances in wins over
Crystal Palace and
Brighton which saw him keep three consecutive clean sheets.[32][33] In August, Alisson was shortlisted for
Champions League Goalkeeper of the Season,[34] finishing in second place.[35] However, with Alisson in goal, Liverpool went on a run of 20 games unbeaten in the league from the start of the season which saw the Brazilian break
Javier Mascherano's record for the longest-such streak.[36] Alisson also played an important role in Liverpool's Champions League group stage campaign, making a vital save late on in their final group game against Napoli as Liverpool won 1–0 to advance to the knockout stages.[37]
On 4 March 2019, he kept his 17th Premier League clean sheet for the season; the most by any Premier League goalkeeper in his debut season since former Liverpool goalkeeper,
Pepe Reina in 2006.[38] At the end of the season, Alisson kept a total of 21 clean sheets in Premier League, and won the
Golden Glove.[39] In the Champions League knockout stages, meanwhile, Alisson played a starring role as Liverpool advanced to their second consecutive final in the competition; in their second-leg semi-final at home to
Barcelona, he made a number of impressive saves as Liverpool overturned a 3–0 first leg deficit to advance past their opponents with a 4–0 home win.[40] In the
final on 1 June 2019, Alisson kept a clean sheet for Liverpool as they defeated
Tottenham Hotspur 2–0, making eight saves in the process, to win his first trophy with the club.[41]
2019–20: Premier League title
After spending his first season with the designated squad number 13, it was announced that Alisson would be wearing the number 1 shirt for the 2019–20 season, which had previously been worn by
Loris Karius.[42][43]
Alisson started in the
2019 FA Community Shield against
Manchester City on 4 August; after a 1–1 draw, Manchester City ultimately won the title 5–4 on penalties.[44] On 9 August 2019, in the opening match of the
2019–20 Premier League season against newly promoted
Norwich at
Anfield, Alisson picked up a calf injury in the first half, and had to be replaced by new signing
Adrián after 38 minutes.[45] He was expected to be out injured for a "few weeks".[46] As a result, he was ruled out of the
2019 UEFA Super Cup,[47] which Liverpool won 5–4 on penalties on 14 August, following a 2–2 draw with Chelsea after extra-time.[48] He returned to the matchday squad on 20 October, in a 1–1 draw with rivals Manchester United.[49] On 30 November, in a 2–1 win over Brighton, he was sent off for handling the ball outside his designated area.[50] On 21 December, Alisson kept a clean sheet against
Flamengo in the
2019 FIFA Club World Cup final with Liverpool winning the trophy for the first time.[51] On 19 January 2020, Alisson assisted
Mohamed Salah's 93rd-minute goal, in a 2–0 home win against
Manchester United in the league.[52]
On 6 March 2020, Alisson was injured again,[53] meaning he missed the next day's Premier League win against
AFC Bournemouth, and the Champions League round of 16 second leg loss against
Atlético Madrid, the final two Liverpool matches before the season was suspended due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. He ended the 2019–20 Premier League with a Premier League winner's medal, having made 29 appearances.[54]
2020–21: Noted header
On 20 September 2020, Alisson saved a penalty in Liverpool's second league game of the
2020–21 Premier League season, a 2–0 away win over Chelsea.[55] This was Alisson's first penalty save for Liverpool since joining the club, and
Jorginho's first missed penalty in nine attempts for Chelsea in all competitions.[56] On 7 February 2021, Alisson made two errors in the space of three minutes, conceding possession to allow Manchester City's
İlkay Gündoğan and
Raheem Sterling to score, as Liverpool lost 4–1.[57] On 16 May 2021, Alisson scored a dramatic late winner in a 2–1 victory against
West Bromwich Albion. With Liverpool chasing a spot in the top four and the score tied at 1–1, Alisson came up for a Liverpool corner in the 95th minute. The corner, taken by
Trent Alexander-Arnold, found Alisson, who managed to score with a header. This was the first goal scored by a keeper in a competitive match in Liverpool's 129-year history,[58] and Alisson became the sixth
goalkeeper to score in the Premier League.[59]
2021–present: Domestic cup double
On 4 August 2021, prior to the beginning of the
2021–22 Premier League season, Alisson signed a new contract extension to stay with Liverpool until the summer of 2027.[60] On 15 May 2022, Alisson won the
FA Cup with Liverpool, defeating rivals Chelsea 6–5 on penalties in the final. Alisson saved a penalty from
Mason Mount, allowing Liverpool's
Kostas Tsimikas to score the winning penalty in the shoot-out.[61] Moreover, Alisson earned a runners-up medal in the Champions League as Liverpool lost 1–0 to
Real Madrid in the
final.[62] Liverpool narrowly missed out on the chance to achieve a historic quadruple, coming second in the
Premier League and the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League but winning both the
EFL Cup and the
FA Cup.[63]
On 16 October 2022, Alisson assisted
Mohamed Salah for a late winning goal in Liverpool's 1–0 win over rivals Manchester City in the Premier League. Alisson became the goalkeeper with the most goal contributions in Premier League history, with 3 assists and 1 goal for Liverpool.[64] Three days later, on 19 October, Alisson saved a penalty from
Jarrod Bowen as Liverpool beat West Ham United 1–0 in the Premier League.[65] Alisson was named Liverpool's Player of the Month for October 2022.[66] Alisson reached 100 clean sheets for Liverpool on 6 May 2023 in a 1–0 victory against
Brentford.[67] At the end of the
2022–23 season, Liverpool narrowly missed out on UEFA Champions League qualification.[68] Despite this, Alisson was widely praised as one of the best performers in the Premier League that
season.[69]
On 5 May 2016, Alisson was named in Brazil's 23-man squad for the
Copa América Centenario.[73] In the team's first match, a goalless draw against
Ecuador, he fumbled a
Miller Bolaños shot into his own goal that was waved off because the ball had gone out of play beforehand.[74] He conceded a total of two goals in three matches as Brazil were eliminated in the group stage.
2018–19: The 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2019 Copa América
In May 2019, he was included by manager
Tite in Brazil's 23-man squad for the
2019 Copa América on home soil.[77] Throughout the tournament, he only conceded one goal in six matches, as Brazil went on to win the title. The only match in which Alisson failed to keep a clean sheet was the 3–1
final victory against
Peru on 7 July, at the
Maracanã Stadium, in which he was beaten by a
Paolo Guerrero penalty.[78][79] Following the tournament, Alisson was honoured with the
Best Goalkeeper Award for his performances.[80]
2021: The 2021 Copa América
On 13 June 2021, he started in Brazil's opening match of the
2021 Copa América on home soil, keeping a clean sheet in a 3–0 win over Venezuela.[81] He was an unused substitute in his nation's 1–0 defeat to rivals
Argentina in the
final on 10 July, with Ederson starting in his place.[82]
2021–22: The 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2022 FIFA World Cup
On 15 June 2021, he was included in Brazil's 50-man preliminary squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics, though he was not included in the final squad.[83]
On 7 November 2022, Alisson was named in the squad for the
2022 World Cup in Qatar.[84] Brazil were defeated by Croatia in the quarter-finals.
Style of play
Alisson has been praised for his ability to produce crucial saves and brilliance in one-on-one situations, as well as his positioning, distribution and consistency;[85][86][87] he is rated by some in the sport as the best goalkeeper in the world.[88][89][90] Alisson cites former Barcelona goalkeeper
Víctor Valdés as an inspiration, due to his ability to play out from the back, as well as
Manuel Neuer, for his '
sweeper keeper' style.[91][92][93] Alisson is also known for his speed and timing when rushing off his line, as well as his ability to clear or challenge for the ball with his feet outside the area, or get to ground quickly to collect or parry the ball inside the box; moreover, due to his distribution, he is capable of playing the ball out from the back quickly with his hands as well as his feet, and also has the ability to launch attacks, or pick out midfielders with his long goal kicks. His skills with the ball at his feet and composure in possession have even seen him
take on opponents on occasion, when put under pressure, and allow his teams to play with a high defensive line.[85][89][93][94][95][96][97]
Despite his height (standing at 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)), strength, size, and his large, powerful physique, Alisson is also an agile and athletic goalkeeper.[3][90][98] He possesses good reflexes and excellent shot-stopping abilities, as well as the capacity to produce spectacular and instinctive reaction saves when necessary, but he is predominantly known for his efficient style of goalkeeping, courtesy of his anticipation, consistency, composure, intelligence, positional sense, and goalkeeping technique, which enables him to read the game, cover the goal well, and stop shots without having to resort to histrionics.[99][100][101][102] Furthermore, he is also known for his handling, and is effective at dealing with high balls, which enables him to come out and claim crosses and command his area well.[94][96][103] Alisson’s technical footwork when dealing with opponents is also highly regarded.[citation needed]
Alisson is regarded by some sport pundits, due to his statistical performances, as the most proficient goalkeeper in the Premier League, and arguably even the best in the world, when left in an individual battle with an opponent.[85][104][105][106][107] His playing style has also drawn comparisons with compatriots
Júlio César, Muriel and
Cláudio Taffarel in the media.[93][95][99] The moniker "The
Messi of goalkeepers" has also been attached to him.[108]
Personal life
Alisson's older brother
Muriel is also a goalkeeper and was developed at Internacional.[109] Alisson's paternal family is of German descent, with his father and grandmother speaking German fluently. While at Roma, Alisson was nicknamed "The German."[110][111] He also holds a German passport.[112] In addition to his native Portuguese, Alisson also speaks Italian,[113] Spanish and English.[114] In May 2019, he was appointed a goodwill ambassador by the
World Health Organization (WHO).[115]
In 2015, Alisson married Natália Loewe, a doctor from Brazil. They have a daughter named Helena, born on 29 April 2017 and a son, Matteo, born on 14 June 2019.[116][117] Their second son was born on 10 May 2021.[118] Alisson and Natália have been WHO advocates for
pro-active care of mental health.[119] On 24 February 2021, Alisson's father José Agostinho drowned in a lake near his holiday home in
Lavras do Sul. Local officials believe no foul play was involved in the incident.[120]
Alisson is a devout
Pentecostal Christian,[121] and holds
baptisms in his swimming pool, hosting the baptisms of teammate
Roberto Firmino and the wife of Fenerbahçe player
Fred.[122][123] He has been nicknamed "The Holy Goalie" by teammate
Virgil van Dijk due to his faith, and lifted the Champions League trophy wearing a T-shirt with "† = ❤" on it.[124][125]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 19 May 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition