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Would a World Cup success put Alisson Becker amongst the greatest of all time?
Alisson Becker has been in stunning form ever since joining Liverpool. He has been a vital part of the Premier League and UEFA Champions League winning sides under Jurgen Klopp, picking up numerous Golden Glove awards and even the Yashin Trophy in 2019.
Since Alisson has added the remaining trophies that an English club can win to his collection in the form of the Emirates FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, winning the World Cup in Qatar will be firmly in his sights as he seeks further success with his nation after winning the Copa America with them back in 2019.
He is certainly one of the greatest goalkeepers in the world right now, but a World Cup win would give him a strong claim of being the greatest ever. Bodog offers best world cup odds in which his nation Brazil is the favourite to become world champions over the next month at 5/2. In terms of contenders for the prize in the form of his club teammates, England are offered at 13/2 with club captain Jordan Henderson bidding to beat Alisson to international football's biggest prize.
Alisson has demonstrated incredible consistency for the past five years now for AS Roma, Liverpool and Brazil. As well as his ridiculous ability to keep out spectacular efforts in his own goal, he has perfected the sweeper-keeper role and regularly acts like an outfield player to recycle possession and collect opposition loose balls, and of course, at times he even turns possession in his own area into a goal for his team at the other end through his incredible passing ability. But how does he compare to the great keepers of the past?
Oliver Kahn is perhaps a stronger competitor in terms of accolades than the Brazilian. Kahn was a UEFA Champions League winner with Bayern Munich and remarkably won the FIFA Golden Ball at the 2002 World Cup although he did not manage to lift the trophy during his career.
In terms of a goalkeeper that has won both at club and international level, Iker Casillas is the perfect candidate and perhaps is the greatest stumbling block to the greatest of all-time status for Alisson. He won the UCL three times as well as the FIFA World Cup with Spain in 2010.
In terms of accolades, Alisson can certainly eclipse the likes of Yashin and Kahn with a World Cup win in Qatar, but Casillas is a whole different beast. If Alisson can achieve success with Brazil and win several more continental trophies with Liverpool he would have a genuine claim to being the greatest ever. Nevertheless, a World Cup win would certainly put the Liverpool goalkeeper amongst the greats, if he is not already there, that is.
Since Alisson has added the remaining trophies that an English club can win to his collection in the form of the Emirates FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, winning the World Cup in Qatar will be firmly in his sights as he seeks further success with his nation after winning the Copa America with them back in 2019.
The complete package
Between the sticks, Alisson is one of a kind both for club and country, he prevents goals from going in at the same rate that a top striker scores goals for his club. In terms of his style, he is the complete package, one-on-one saves, acrobatic saves and even distribution - which often leads to him recording assists from his own goal. This was seen this season when he set up Mohamed Salah to score the match-winner against Manchester City at Anfield.He is certainly one of the greatest goalkeepers in the world right now, but a World Cup win would give him a strong claim of being the greatest ever. Bodog offers best world cup odds in which his nation Brazil is the favourite to become world champions over the next month at 5/2. In terms of contenders for the prize in the form of his club teammates, England are offered at 13/2 with club captain Jordan Henderson bidding to beat Alisson to international football's biggest prize.
Alisson has demonstrated incredible consistency for the past five years now for AS Roma, Liverpool and Brazil. As well as his ridiculous ability to keep out spectacular efforts in his own goal, he has perfected the sweeper-keeper role and regularly acts like an outfield player to recycle possession and collect opposition loose balls, and of course, at times he even turns possession in his own area into a goal for his team at the other end through his incredible passing ability. But how does he compare to the great keepers of the past?
The greatest keepers of the past
It is fitting to start with Lev Yashin as his brilliance on the pitch led to an award named after him being created of which Alisson was voted the winner of the first edition. With Soviet clubs not competing in European competition back then, he did not have the chance to gain the European-level calibre that Alisson holds. Yashin's greatest success was the Summer Olympics with the Soviet national team in 1956. His brilliance was largely owed to his ability on the pitch and his stunning reflexes that were way ahead of his time.Oliver Kahn is perhaps a stronger competitor in terms of accolades than the Brazilian. Kahn was a UEFA Champions League winner with Bayern Munich and remarkably won the FIFA Golden Ball at the 2002 World Cup although he did not manage to lift the trophy during his career.
In terms of a goalkeeper that has won both at club and international level, Iker Casillas is the perfect candidate and perhaps is the greatest stumbling block to the greatest of all-time status for Alisson. He won the UCL three times as well as the FIFA World Cup with Spain in 2010.
In terms of accolades, Alisson can certainly eclipse the likes of Yashin and Kahn with a World Cup win in Qatar, but Casillas is a whole different beast. If Alisson can achieve success with Brazil and win several more continental trophies with Liverpool he would have a genuine claim to being the greatest ever. Nevertheless, a World Cup win would certainly put the Liverpool goalkeeper amongst the greats, if he is not already there, that is.
Written by Alan Spencer
