Alisson Becker: The goalkeeper who transformed Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp examined the ruins of Liverpool’s 2018 Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid and replied with a game-changing acquisition of Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker.

Klopp’s team would not be ready for Saturday’s revenge mission against the Spanish champions in Paris if Alisson had not made significant contributions to the Liverpool cause, including a crucial goal last season.

Liverpool’s heartbreaking 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid four years ago was especially difficult for Klopp to take because his hand-picked goalkeeper, Loris Karius, was mainly to blame.

Klopp chose Karius over Simon Mignolet after signing him from Mainz, but the German never quite lived up to expectations, and his Champions League collapse in Kiev was the final straw.

With the score at 0-0, Karius for some reason flung the ball against Karim Benzema and watched helplessly as the ball rolled behind him into the empty net.

With seven minutes remaining, Liverpool was still in the game, but Karius misjudged Gareth Bale’s long-range attempt into the net, sealing Real’s victory.

Klopp recruited Alisson from Roma for a then-world-record fee of about £67 million ($84 million) just weeks after.

While Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk have been the most prominent Liverpool players under Klopp, Alisson’s importance cannot be overstated.

Liverpool has always admired goalkeepers, with a painting honoring 1970s legend Ray Clemence decorating a house wall near Anfield.

Alisson, 29, is deserving of a place among Liverpool’s all-time best goalkeepers, and Klopp is confident in his abilities.

“Alisson Becker is the best goalkeeper in the world for me,” the Liverpool boss said earlier this season. “There are top goalies out there but this keeper is insane.

The Brazilian has left his mark on some of Liverpool’s most memorable moments in recent years.

‘I would have paid double’: Klopp

Alisson produced a fantastic stoppage-time save against Napoli in December 2018, only months after arriving on Merseyside.

The Reds knew that a clean sheet or a win by two clear goals would guarantee progression to the knockout stages in their last Champions League group stage fixture.

When Napoli’s Arkadiusz Milik found himself one-on-one with Alisson as Liverpool clung to a one-goal lead, he looked destined to send them crashing out.

However, the goalkeeper produced a wonderful stop with his feet to earn a spot in the last 16, moving Klopp to say: “If I knew Alisson was this good, I would have paid double. The save he made, I have no words for that.”

That season, Liverpool won the Champions League, defeating Tottenham in the final to give Alisson his first big prize in Europe.

A year later, Liverpool won the Premier League for the first time since 1990, with their goalie once again proving to be a model of consistency.

When Alisson made a spectacular save against West Bromwich Albion in May 2021, Klopp’s team was struggling to protect the title and fighting for a Champions League berth.

With seconds left on the clock at the Hawthorns, Alisson ran up and casually headed Trent Alexander-corner Arnold’s into the net for a spectacular winner.

He interpreted the goal as a divine intervention coming only three months after his father’s untimely death.

“I’m too emotional” Alisson said. “I’m sure he is celebrating with God at his side. God placed his hand on my head.”

This season, Alisson has been even more dominant in Liverpool’s pursuit for an unprecedented quadruple, which was terminated on Sunday as Manchester City pipped them to the Premier League title.

He kept 20 league clean sheets this season and stopped Mason Mount’s penalty kick in Liverpool’s FA Cup final penalty shootout triumph over Chelsea, allowing Kostas Tsimikas to score the winning spot-kick.

If Liverpool wins the Champions League for the seventh time this weekend, Alisson is likely to provide another memorable performance.