Full interview | Alisson Becker discusses new LFC contract
Alisson Becker has signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool FC – you can read the goalkeeper's reaction in full now.
The Brazilian penned fresh terms with the club while in Evian during the team's pre-season training camp, before sitting down with Liverpoolfc.com to give an exclusive interview.
Watch the chat via LFCTV GO, or read on for a full transcript…
Ali, congratulations. How pleased are you to extend your deal with Liverpool Football Club?
Thank you. I think I didn't waste too much time to think about that. It's something we just built in those last three years, the confidence, the trust that I have in the club and the club has in myself. Me and my family, we are really happy here. My kids are settled in England, in a different country, but they are growing up in that way. So we are really happy. I'm really glad that I can keep going on with my work here, doing a good job here. So, I'm really happy to make this decision – that is not hard for me.
How important is it for you that things are right in football terms but also in life as well? That your family is happy, for example...
I think as you are getting older, you are building a family, you start to think more in your family than in yourself, in your professional terms – but still you have to think on that. For me professionally, it's the best decision, it's the same decision as I took when I first came here. Since I arrived here, I started to win trophies with this amazing team, with this amazing group. I started to develop myself in many aspects in football, in my life. Also my family. Ray, the team manager, he told me once a sentence about the family – 'Happy wife, happy life.' My wife is really happy here, in England, she's happy for my children, for myself, for herself as well. We found a purpose in our life here and I'm really, really happy to continue wearing this shirt.
Two people to keep happy in life – the manager and the wife...
Of course. But the manager is not too difficult to keep him happy. It's just doing everything as I used to do on the pitch, outside the pitch. Obviously you have to be committed to the team with everything. The wife is quite tricky! But I have no problems with that as well.
You mentioned before that you've won trophies here and the word 'trust' at the start of this interview. Is that the big thing – that there's a trust there on both sides that there's potential to do more, to win more?
That's the mindset. I trust the club, I trust everyone here. I believe the club trusts me as well to keep doing my work and keep doing my best for the team. As an individual, I will give 100 per cent to make this club win more trophies in the seasons coming. This season is really important for us. The last one was quite tricky with a lot of things that happened in our lives but I think this made ourselves more hungry for what comes in front of us. I have really good expectations for the season and I will do everything that is in my hands to achieve our goals.
So many things happened in all aspects of life last season, yet still the boys managed to finish third in the table. How impressive is that, given everything?
There were a lot of things, a lot of injuries, bad moments for everybody. The world was in a more difficult place, now things are getting better hopefully. I think it was quite hard for everybody but I believe we dealt quite good with everything. We stayed together as one on the pitch, off the pitch. I lived something really hard in my life, the most difficult moment in my life, and I felt the love of everybody here at the club. Everybody on my side, I felt this and this kept me strong to keep on going, keep working hard, keep training, keep playing [at] a high level. I think the last 10 matches were really important for us to put our team back in the Champions League. In finishing third, it was not what we wanted in the beginning of the season, but in the end of the season I think it was a good result.
Not to push into your personal life but just how good was it for you to go home for a little bit and just switch off and recharge mentally more than anything else?
It was not only good but it was needed. [It was] a long time [for] me not being at home – I think two years. The last holiday I could not fly because of COVID of course. This time it was even more important for me to see my brother, my mother, all the friends, my grandmother, everybody. It was a short time but a good time with my family. I recharged my batteries a little bit [for] this next season.
How many days into being home was it before they had the West Brom goal up to talk about that?
Haha! Everybody just talked about that. When they first saw me, they just talked about that, about the amazing goal. It was something really crazy. I think it was the most crazy thing in the last season. I think many things happened but nobody expected I would have scored a goal!
You mentioned there's a real belief this can be a big season – is the target to push and fight for the title and to fight for the Champions League again?
Yes, we have to set goals and we have to set them high – winning everything that we are playing [for], the Champions League, Premier League, the cups, everything. I think we can start from there. But obviously winning depends on what we will put on the pitch, what we will give on the pitch and we have to give 100 per cent at least. If we can push harder, we will go.
Finally, I need to ask – is there any chance of the moustache coming back? It was sensational in the last campaign and very popular...
Yeah, it was nice. Many, many people were asking on Twitter, on Instagram to bring the moustache back again. Maybe. Who knows? Maybe.
Have you persuaded any of the other boys to try it?
No, no, no. I think it's not for everyone! If you want a moustache, you need to have the proper one!
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