interviewHow much do you both enjoy being part of
the same club?
ALI: It’s great to play alongside Bobby. I already knew him
from the Selecao. I first knew of him from the contribution he
was making – he was in the Brazil squad before me.
We then became team-mates in the national team and
we saw a lot more of each other, during call-ups, at games
and preparing for games. Then the opportunity to come
to Liverpool came about and he was a very important
influence in my choice. He spoke highly of the club, he
spoke about the reality at the club, and arriving here I could
see it all to be true.
Our families have become close as well, which is great
for us. He’s a similar guy to me, he’s laid-back and manages
to be even more shy than me. It’s an honour for me.
The word that defines our relationship is ‘honour’. It’s an
honour to play alongside him.
BOBBY: Off the pitch he’s [Alisson] an incredible guy. He’s a
great person to know, easy to get on with, a family guy with
a good head on his shoulders, level-headed and focused. I’m
grateful to have him here with me.
Here at Liverpool, I say he’s the man. He’s the goalkeeper we
needed. For what we are now achieving, we needed him. On the
pitch he’s an incredible guy that helps us a lot with his saves and
his personality.
We’ve been doing well and this has been recognised with all
the well-deserved awards he received last year.
I repeat: he’s the man, the goalkeeper we needed. The
definition of a modern keeper.
Ali, what do you think about
that?
ALI: I think when you talk about the
definition of a modern goalkeeper,
[Manuel] Neuer was the pioneer. Ederson
is another goalkeeper who understands
this role well. [Marc-Andre] Ter Stegen has
developed really well.
I always liked to play this way, I’ve always worked towards
playing this way. I believe ‘definition’ is just a word. I aim to
always do my best to help my team-mates, not just with saves
but in other situations: organising the defence, playing with the
ball at my feet, participating in the creation of play. I believe this
has helped the team a lot.
My objective is to improve every season. There’s no mystery
in football, there’s no magic, nothing different about how to
achieve success – it’s hard work and that’s what I do day-to-day
with a lot of training and focus on my collective and individual
goals.
Bobby, how do you view your role? Jürgen
Klopp has called you ‘a connector’...
BOBBY: My job and my focus is always to help the team.
Whether that’s with goals or assists, I always want to be
helping the team. In defence as well, as everybody knows I like
defending – I don’t like conceding goals.
I like providing assists and scoring goals. I like to be happy
and contribute to the team.
ALI: In my opinion there’s one player who is fundamental to
our team and that’s Bobby. He scores goals, provides assists and
drives the team on. If you take him out of the team, his role is
one of the most difficult to replace.