by A World Cup winner’s medal could be a symbol of some sort of finality for some players, a mission accomplished, a pinnacle reached. When Alexis Mac Allister looks at his, which he has done every day since 18 December 2022, he sees the beginning. Argentina’s win over France inspired the bravery of an unhappy Liverpool midfielder.
Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Chelsea will be Mac Allister’s first chance to win a trophy with Jürgen Klopp’s side and the first cup final of his senior career at the club. There was success on the international stage of course, from the Argentina under-23s to the ultimate glory in Qatar, with a league title on loan from Boca Juniors. Memories from all of them will eventually go into a museum planned by MacAllister for the family home. But there is a space to be filled.
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“I definitely want more,” he says, fresh from providing two assists that turned an exciting night against Luton in Liverpool’s favor on Wednesday. “That’s how I am. The World Cup helped me realize that I want to win more trophies so Sunday is a great opportunity. That’s what I wanted when I signed for the club. It will be my first Liverpool final so it will be very special for me and the team. We weren’t thinking much about the final because we had a lot of games, and Luton was a big game, but now we can think about it and prepare well.”
Mac Allister often finds time to reflect on his greatest achievement, however, and his World Cup medal is always a source of pride and inspiration. “I look at it every day,” he says. “That’s what it means to me and to the country as well. It’s the biggest game ever for a football player so I’m really proud of it and hopefully next week the Carabao Cup medal will be something I’ll be looking at as well.
“My plan is to create a small museum at home – a room where everything is there. I have a World Cup replica, the medal and a few other trophies – they’re all in a safe place at the moment – and my plan is to have them somewhere where I can always see them.”
Mac Allister quickly emerged as the leader of the Liverpool team; a quiet and unassuming leader perhaps, but an authority on the field all the same. His flexibility and game intelligence were two of the main reasons why Liverpool prioritized him for their midfield rebuild last summer, when he arrived for a £35m cut-price thanks to a clause in his contract with Brighton. Both helped the team rise to the top of the Premier League and withstand almost constant disruption to the frontline.
“It’s crazy because from day one here I felt a connection that I haven’t felt at any other club,” he says. “At the other clubs it was about the time it took to settle. Here, from day one, the people helped me settle in very well. I really feel a connection with the fans and the club and I really like it here. It is one of the biggest clubs in the world. I hope to spend many years here.”
The summer signing was one of the more experienced players on display against Luton when Liverpool used seven players aged 21 or under in their latest return, but Mac Allister will not be giving advice to any youngster in the run-up to Wembley. “I’m still young too, I’m 25. I think every player and every person is different so I wouldn’t say much to them; they just need to enjoy their football.
“The World Cup final is the biggest game in the world and of course it gives you a lot of confidence and it certainly helps when you have experience, but it’s not the most important thing. You can see players who have played in a final for the first time and do very well, like I did in the World Cup [Mac Allister supplied the pass for Ángel Di María’s brilliant team goal in the final] so we have to enjoy it. Of course it’s an opportunity to win a trophy for this club and that will be special but we have to play the game we want to play.”
The final will pit the midfielder against fellow Argentine Enzo Fernández and former Brighton team-mate Moisés Caicedo, who was worn out in Chelsea’s 4-1 defeat at Anfield last month. “I’m not expecting the same game on Sunday as we played here,” says Mac Allister. “They’re a good team and they’ve got a few more days to recover, but that’s about it.”
Mac Allister and Caicedo would have remained team-mates if Chelsea had made a late move last summer or Liverpool turned down the latter with a £111m bid at the time in Britain. “Liverpool was the only chance,” MacAllister says of his decision. He chose not to interfere with Caicedo’s.
“It’s a personal decision and I would never be in the middle. That’s what he chose and that’s totally fine. We really haven’t [had contact since]. When we played against Chelsea I spoke to him a bit, but not on WhatsApp or social media.
“Maybe it hurt me a little bit with what happened during the summer,” he says with a smile, “but it’s good. He’s a great player and a really good guy and I wish him the best of luck every day of his life – but not on Sunday.”
McAllister’s mother, Silvina, will be at Wembley and his dad, former Argentina international defender Carlos, will be watching at home. “He always watches the games and always says something, which is not always positive!” says Mac Allister, whose older brothers Francis and Kevin are also professionals. “But that helps me and my brothers a lot because I like it when someone is as honest as he is. I spoke to him the day before the Luton game and he told me to go for it. He knew it was a very important game for me and the club for the rest of the season. His advice was to give 100% and go for everything.” His son, and Liverpool, are forced.
