Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has been playing in the Premier League for almost six years, a dream he wanted to fulfil after watching two Argentine heroes growing up.
Alexis Mac Allister arrived in England as a relatively unknown player. Even after signing for Brighton & Hove Albion, he was twice loaned back to Argentina to play for Argentinos Juniors and then Boca Juniors.
Since then, Mac Allister has become one of the Premier League’s best midfielders and he even got his hands on the trophy last season. However, this dream may have never come to fruition if he had not been inspired by two former Argentina internationals, one of whom played for Liverpool.
Mac Allister told GQ Magazine: “When I was younger, there weren’t many Argentinians in the Premier League but I used to wake up very early in the mornings to watch players like Carlos Tevez and Maxi Rodriguez.
“I was a big fan of the Premier League, so I hope the next generations are doing the same with us, not just with me but with Argentinian players in general.”
Mac Allister has revealed that children are often pushed to play football from a young age in his home country, but his decision to play was a personal choice.
He said: “In Argentina, it is quite hard not to get into football, but my dad never told us that we had to play football and it’s not just me, my two brothers play football, one [Francis Manuel] in Argentina and the other one [Kevin] in Belgium.
“So it is definitely something that we chose. When we were kids, we used to watch our dad play football. So yeah, for us it’s a big passion and we are really, really grateful that this sport has given us so much.”
Mac Allister has come a long way since the beginning of his journey into professional football, making it all the way to one of the finest teams in Europe. The 26-year-old is very happy at Liverpool and has revealed their supporters are just as passionate as the famous Boca Juniors fanbase he used to perform for.
He continued: “I feel the level of passion is the common thing, especially when it comes to clubs. I come from a big club in Argentina, Boca Juniors, and I always compare their fans with Liverpool fans, but I would say that the passion is the only similarity that we have because in terms of the culture and the country, it’s quite different.”
Mac Allister has fulfilled his childhood dream and is inspiring a new generation of future football players. He is Premier League and World Cup winner and he will surely be thinking about one day getting his hands on the Champions League trophy, with Liverpool getting their European campaign underway even though they suffered their first defeat in the competition against Turkish opposition Galatasaray and will be looking to bounce back on Wednesday against Eintracht Frankfurt.
