Alisson Becker on his connection with Mo Salah, the joy of Federico Chiesa, and choosing his facial hair: Men in Blazers 08/22/25

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1:19How can gold from MX sweeten your next food moment? Learn more at americanexpress.com slash explore-gold. Terms and points cap apply. You're listening to the Men in Blazers Media Network, suboptimal radio. How do you decide what look you're going to go with? Does it change by the season, the opponent, the mood? I decide by the moon.

1:50My guest today is a gent who was literally born to be a goalkeeper. Both of his parents played in goal, as did his great-grandfather, older brother. He's done his family tradition proud. As he goes into his eighth season at Liverpool, he's won every trophy there is to win, including last year's Premier League title, celebrated each personal and professional glory. by barbecuing a remarkable amount of red meat. It's a joy to welcome and to say parabéns to Alisson Becker. Hello, guys. Thank you. Thank you so much. I think the part of the barbecue is the best one. I do want to get your barbecue secrets before we're done.

2:28But Alisson, I want to start by going back to the final day of last season. Liverpool lifted the Premier League trophy at Anfield. Amazing celebrations. But it was a beautiful moment. you climbed onto the goal and you sat there on the crossbar, taking in the scene as the cop chanted your name. Can you describe the emotions you experienced up there on that perch? Was it exhaustion? Was it joy? Was it relief? Pure joy, pure joy. I wish I could have maybe a camera in my head so you could have the same vision of the cop that I had up there at the post. It was a great feeling, celebrating with the fans, being able to celebrate finally the Premier League with the fans.

3:10One thing that we lacked in the first time that we won it. So it was great. We enjoyed a lot that celebration. I think we will remember forever those moments. It was an amazing achievement, masterminded by your new manager Arna Slott. First season for him. Can you talk about what you've learned from Arna in the past 12 months and what his message was to you ahead of this title defending season? I think his message is clear about his team, the way he wants to play. I think first season he didn't want to change so many things and he has a similar style as Jurgen Klopp. He didn't change too many things on the pitch but his message was clear so intensity was a vital part of our team.

3:53Hard work as well, not only relying on our qualities that we have a lot of course and you need quality to win the Premier League or any trophy but you need hard work as well. You need to work really hard, you need your strikers working hard to defend, you need sometimes the defenders working hard to attack, to score goals. So that was a clear message from his side. He was able to take out the best from each player. He could even improve some players that were already playing in a high level. And he used the best of each one. Liverpool's title defence started last Friday night under the lights at Anfield against a quite tenacious Bournemouth.

4:40The score was 2-2, two minutes still to play. And you played a beautiful ball to Dom Soberslay. He laid it off to Salah. Some chaos in the box. And it was Federico Chiesa cut it so sweetly on the volley. It's like a piece of Italian art up there with any Renaissance painting to give Liverpool the win. Can you tell us, what does it mean to the squad that it was Chiesa who scored that, his first Premier League goal for Liverpool in that enormous moment. I think it means a lot for us. When a player like him, who is not playing so often, who didn't play as much as he wanted to play, is not going in the best moment of his life, personally.

5:20So when he comes in and he scores that goal, I think the satisfaction that he shows us in his celebration shows a lot of his character, of his personality. He's a guy that works so hard every day here with us. He's always trying to help. He complains sometimes. Every Italian does that. But he's not the guy who complains in a negative way. He complains to make things better, to try to make things better for everyone, not only for himself. And I think shows that nothing is impossible, that we can believe till the last second that we have the players to change the game if it's necessary. I'm never happy that I conceded but I told him seeing that you was the guy who scored a goal I have no problem in conceding the goals.

6:14They couldn't miss after the pass that you made though really, could they? No, they couldn't. You're meant to save goals but obviously three assists all to the Egyptian king Mo Salah. What does it feel like to create them to provide those moments of creativity? With Mo, the connection we and Mo have is from the years we spent together. I know his qualities, he knows my quality to play the ball in behind the line when we have the space to do that. So he just does what he does the best, that he's running towards the goal. And I have to do my best to kick the ball and put him in a good position so he can control the ball and do what he does the best that his scoring goals, but it's something that we really enjoy doing.

7:01So when that happens, I think you could see from the celebrations, the need slide, something that we enjoy a lot. With the American Express Platinum Card, you can access over$3 ,500 in annual value with benefits and eligible purchases across travel, entertainment and more. There's nothing like Platinum. Learn more at americanexpress.com slash explore dash platinum. Enrollment requirements, monthly, and other limits in terms apply. From Taco Night in Tulum to Sushi in Tokyo, every bite is rewarding and post-worthy with MX Gold's four-times membership rewards points at restaurants worldwide. Wherever you dine, points are piling up.

7:40So bring your friends along for your next course, because it's not all about the posts. It's about the company and the memories. How can gold from MX sweeten your next food moment? Learn more at AmericanExpress.com slash Explore-Gold. Terms and points cap apply. A snarl and they're upon him. An ancient forest spirit at his heels. The only escape is in the Toyota BZ Woodland. Jon Cho stars in Camping. Test drive Toyota's new all-electric family today. Toyota, let's go places. You talk about chemistry. You are in a squad in transition. Your back line's got a new left back, a new right back. You got exclamation point in a human body, Milos Kerkhez.

8:24You got legs and lungs of Jeremy Frimpong. Alisson, as a keeper in the search for new chemistry, what role can you play in building it on the field? And honestly, how long does it take to gel? Well, we don't know how long it takes. Can be one game, two games, three games, but can be a month, two months. hopefully we're going to be as soon as possible. What we can do here is just make those players who came in feel comfortable to play in the way Liverpool plays. We know their qualities and we know that we have to use their qualities as well to improve the team. But we have a style of playing. We have a way to play.

9:08And they will have to adapt as well to that way. And I think they are doing that really well. Some will need more time, some not. But with the quality they have, I don't think that will take too long for them to really create the connection with all the players. And my role is the same as the others. To help them in any way, we need to help on the pitch or outside of the pitch. The one thing you're known for, other than your elite goalkeeping, is your deep and abiding religious faith. and I'm fascinated you said that everything you do is a way to praise God can you express how that works that it's not trophies or wins but it's about faith that motivates you that drives you forward a Christian's life should be driven by what the the Bible says we believe the Bible Christians believes the Bible is the God's words I choose to live my life based on the the truths that we have from the Bible the way I have I relate to people the way I relate to my work, to my job, how I perform, how I train.

10:18So the Bible says that there is a verse, everything you do, do as you are doing for God, to please God. It says everything. So all things that I do, even our conversation, I try somehow to glorify God. Maybe I don't need to preach to you, but to glorify God, but maybe just having a nice conversation, be a nice guy, being truthful. I think that's what I take to my life and not only for football, but the way I talk with my kids, the way I teach them, the way I talk with my wife, the way I treat her, the way I treat other people. So it's for all my life. Most men are either beard men or clean shaven men.

11:03And you are so versatile. You can go close crop Caesar cut you can be long haired and you've even been clean shaven bearded and then you even briefly went mustache how do you decide what look you're going to go with does it change by the season the opponent the mood how do you make the decision i decide by the moon

11:27no i just do what what comes to my mind sometimes when i have the full beard i go to shave and i I leave always the mustache for the last and I have some crazy ideas at the moment and then I just do it but yeah my wife doesn't like it too much to be honest by the moon yeah it's just by the moment so anything that comes to my mind till I have hair in my head I go I will do something different enjoy it well you've got it Alisson it's all I'm going to say obrigado to you your family to Liverpool thanks man