Paul Gorst examines how Liverpool's goalkeeper has been key to the team's quest for Champions League triumph in this week's Blood Red column.
After scoring against West Bromwich Albion, Alisson is mobbed.
After scoring against West Bromwich Albion, Alisson is mobbed.
Liverpool would not have been anywhere near Paris this weekend if it hadn't been for one of Alisson Becker's most spectacular interventions.
It's been just over a year since the Brazilian became the Reds' first goalkeeper to score, and his textbook, picture-perfect header past Sam Johnstone of West Bromwich Albion is already the stuff of Anfield mythology.
Three hundred and seventy-seven days have passed since Alisson's thrilling, swashbuckling nod past the Hawthorns' opposite number.
"My emphasis was already on putting the squad in the Champions League when I scored that goal," Liverpool's No. 1 recently stated. "After scoring in the game, I mentioned in an interview that if we could go on to win the Champions League, this goal would be even more special." Not only will the goal be worth it, but every sacrifice we made in the previous season will be as well.
Last season, no one on the Liverpool team made more of the sacrifices that Alisson mentions than their goalkeeper. The Brazil star was only a few weeks removed from his father's abrupt and terrible death in his hometown at the time, and because to coronavirus limitations, he was unable to attend the funeral.
He declares: "People talk about luck from time to time, but I don't believe it. I feel it was intended to happen, and that I was truly fortunate by God to be in the right place at the right time to assist the team.
Perhaps it was divine intervention as Alisson glided past Johnstone with the kind of slick grace that would have made the legendary John Toshack proud, but it speaks more to the steadfast character that resides throughout this Liverpool group.
It's the kind of toughness they've developed since their last Champions League final against Real Madrid. The Reds' thrill-seeking journey to Kyiv ended abruptly and in tears four years ago.
The tear-soaked recollections of that night endure more in media reportage than the Liverpool squad now, from Mohamed Salah to Loris Karius and Alex Oxlade- Chamberlain's. At least, if all of their pre-match declarations are to be believed.
The official party line is that there is no hatred fueling Saturday's Champions League final, from Jurgen Klopp and Sadio Mane to Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Andy Robertson. On the surface of such a career-defining game, it's a hazardous emotion to have.
"I wasn't here, but what occurred in that match pains everyone," Alisson says of the 2018 contest. "Losing a final or a crucial game is extremely painful. But I don't believe it will have an impact on our team. We're here to help.
The story of a revenge mission is simple to create, but it contradicts the reality of Liverpool's clarity heading into this weekend. Klopp's side have dominated en route to a third final in four years, with Real Madrid's journey to Paris highlighted by a succession of remarkable, barely believed comebacks.
Los Blancos have lost as many knockout games in the Champions League as Liverpool have in their 62 games across all competitions, and while their fixtures with PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester City were undoubtedly more difficult than Liverpool's, which included Inter, Benfica, and Villarreal, perhaps Paris is where the Spanish royals' luck finally, irreversibly runs out.
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