Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker reveals that leaving Italian giants AS Roma reduced him to tears when he made the switch to join Liverpool in the summer.
Alisson left Roma back in July for a fee reported to be in the region of £65M in what was then a world record fee for a goalkeeper before Chelsea broke the record with the signing of Kepa Arrizabalaga. Alisson had an impressive campaign last season that earned him a place in the Brazilian squad that went till the quarter-finals stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Alisson is preparing to return to Italy for the first time as Liverpool take on Napoli, “Leaving Rome was difficult. I cried for a long time, along with my wife. It is right to be honest: I have made a professional choice, a step forward for my career and Roma have earned a large sum. With my mind I decided to go to Liverpool, but my heart was still full of tears.”
The Brazilian went on to note that the city of Rome holds a special place in his heart, “I spent two special years in Rome, my daughter was born there, I have many friends there even out of football. So many times I went for a walk around the city: The Trevi fountain, in the dark, is so beautiful it moves you. But my favourite place is the Colosseum: there you breathe history”
Liverpool travel to Italy to face Napoli on Tuesday 2nd October in a 10 PM kick off.
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has warned his side that they face a huge test against Napoli in the ChampionsLeague.
The Reds will be away to Napoli and Alisson expects a “big challenge” as they look to make it two wins from as many games in Group C. Alisson’s last visit to Napoli was a successful one, the goalkeeper helping Roma to a 4-2 win in Serie A in March. The Brazilian remembers that encounter and said Liverpool would face a huge test against Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
“They had 24 attempts on goal, 13 on target. I made 11 saves and conceded two goals. It’s always tough playing away against a great club. In Napoli, we’ll definitely find really passionate fans, and a team that comes onto the pitch with a huge desire to win,” Alisson told the club’s website.
“The last and only time I played there, we happily got a win, but it was one of the games I had to work hardest in during the season. It was one of the toughest games of the season for us in Serie A, so it’s definitely going to be a tough game. They’ve had the same basis of the team for three to four years.”
“I hope we have a great game and achieve the victory, but it’ll definitely be a big challenge for us.”
Jurgen Klopp’s men started their Champions League campaign with a convincing 3-2 win over French side Paris Saint Germain last month.