Liverpool shot stopper Alisson Becker has received numerous commendations for settling to life at Anfield very quickly. He was named the UEFA Goalkeper of the season 2018/19 last night. He was ranked ahead of Barcelona’s Marc-Andre Stegen and Hugo Lloris of Tottenham Hotspur. Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak and Andre Onana of Ajax completed the top five.
Alisson did this in a pressure-laden season at Anfield after the sacking of two goalkeepers and the club paid a record fee of 63 million Euros to land him from Roma. In the 13 games run to the Champions League title, the Brazilian kept six clean sheets. More importantly he has been a huge boost to the confidence of the team since he joined.
Many pundits say the goalkeeper has settled quicker than Manchester United legend Edwin van der Sar at Fulham and even David De Gea at Manchester United when he arrived. Alisson arrived at England and hit the ground running, and becoming a fan delight instantly. The player has been praised for his mental strength and goalkeeping contributions since Jurgen Klopp took a leap of faith to sign him.
He is expected to return soon from his six weeks injury to continue his fine work. Adrian has been representing decently for Liverpool but the team needs Alisson back. Liverpool are hoping to challenge Man City for the league title, whilst maintaining dominance locally.
Alisson remains a contender for player of the year but it is increasingly likely that the FIFA award would go to his teammate Vigil van Dijk, who won the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award.