Who is Liverpool’s Newest Signing, Alisson Becker?
Posted on 24.07.2018
Last week, Liverpool agreed to a recording-breaking deal when they signed Roma goalkeeper Alisson Becker. The Reds paid a rumoured £65 million for the Brazilian, who has agreed to a six-year contract.
But who is Alisson Becker? From his footballing history to his friendship with Liverpool forward Firmino, here’s the low-down on LFC’s new goalkeeper…
He’s the Most Expensive Goalkeeper on the Planet
The rumored £65 million Liverpool paid for the Alisson makes him the most expensive goalkeeper of all time.
Before this deal, the record-holder was Ederson Santana de Moraes, Alisson’s teammate and rival. Manchester City paid £35m for Ederson last year. The pair were both tipped to be Brazil’s starting goalkeeper at the World Cup, but it was Alisson who made the cut.
Alisson is likely to be paid well above the average Premier League wage of £2.4 million a year – a far cry from the years of Bill Shankly’s managerial reign, when the average wage was just £20 a week.
He’s Only 25
Alisson was born in Novo Hamburgo, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil on 2 October 1992. The city is an industrial settlement in the south of Brazil which was named by German migrants in 1927.
It’s now famous for its shoe-making industry, and is called the capital of Brazilian footwear.
A Former Goalkeeping Coach Called Alisson ‘the Messi of Goalkeepers’
The ex-Roma goalkeeping coach Roberto Negrisolo made the statement back in February, when rumours suggested that Alisson would be sold for €50 million, which Negrisolo thought was well below the Brazilian’s worth.
The ex-coach said:
“I don’t think many people have realized who Alisson is. This guy is a phenomenon. He is the Number One of Number Ones. He is the Messi of goalkeepers, because he has the same mentality as Messi. He is a goalkeeper who can mark an era.”
He’s Set to Make his Liverpool Debut in August
Alisson will start his Liverpool career playing a friendly against Napoli in Dublin on 4 August this year, before walking out onto Anfield for the first time on August 7 in the club’s final warm-up game against Torino.
The goalie wanted to join the Liverpool squad immediately after signing and take part in their tour of the United States, but the Red’s manager Jurgen Klopp revealed in an interview that he’d had to persuade the goalkeeper to finish his holiday before joining the team.
“He is desperate to play”, said Klopp, “He could have joined us here [in the USA], he wanted to stay that day, but it made absolutely no sense. He had a long year. As Brazil No 1, it was quite an intense year!”
He’s a Family Man, Like Bill Shankly
Liverpool’s legendary former manager Bill Shankly was famous for being a family man, and it seems that Liverpool’s latest signing is following in the footsteps of the LFC legend. Becker is married to Natália Loewe Becker and the couple have a daughter, Helena. Judging by his Instagram, there’s nothing Alisson likes more than spending time with his family.
And His Wife is a Qualified Doctor
Natália graduated from medical school just five months before the pair moved to Rome. She completed her degree at the Catholic University of Pelotas, in Brazil, and has worked as a paediatrician.
LFC has a history of strong women supporting their footballing partners, including Agnes Wren Shankly. ‘Nessie’ Shankly was Bill Shankly’s famously supportive and outspoken wife, who followed the former Liverpool manager around the country.
Her grandson, Chris Shankly-Carline, has previously written about how the First-Lady of Football was a true philanthropist and people-person, who supported Bill throughout his managerial career at Liverpool and beyond.
He Signed to a Club’s Youth Team at Just 11 Years of Age
The 25-year old Becker started out for Brazilian club Internacional’s youth side at the tender age of 11, making his first-team debut for them just 10 years later in 2013.
He went on to make 83 appearances for Internacional. During his time there, he helped the side top the Campeonato Gaucho – the Brazilian equivalent of the Premier League – four years running.
Before the Liverpool move, Alisson been playing at Roma for two seasons.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bea29A8Bdxa/?taken-by=alissonbecker
He’s Good Friends with Bobby Firmino
The two Brazilian footballers are good friends. The Liverpool forward was even behind Alisson’s decision to join the Reds.
The new goalie revealed that his Brazil team-mate spoke positively about life in Merseyside, telling him good things about both LFC and the city, encouraging him to make the move.
In the same interview, Alisson also revealed that Liverpool’s Mo Salah nagged him to join the team, sending him a text asking what the goalie was waiting for during advanced stages of the negotiations.
He Comes From a Footballing Family
Footballing, and more specifically goalkeeping, evidently runs in the Becker family blood. Alisson’s older brother, Muriel, is also a goalkeeper who plays for the Portuguese side Belenenses.
Here at The Shankley Hotel, we can’t wait to welcome Alisson and his family to Merseyside. We’ll be watching all the televised LFC games at our Bastion Bar and Restaurant.
If you’re travelling to Anfield to watch a match from afar, why not stay at The Shankly Hotel? Situated in the centre of Liverpool, the hotel is a tribute to one of football’s greatest managers and offers spacious rooms, luxurious facilities and unseen Bill Shankly memorabilia just a stone’s throw away from the city’s main transport links.
Call our team on 0151 909 5729 or book a room online today.
Featured photo source: Instagram | @alissonbecker
