Alisson Becker is comfortable talking about the end of eras. The Liverpool goalkeeper spent eight seasons sharing a dressing room with Mohamed Salah on Merseyside and shared one with Neymar for almost his entire Brazil career. Both are gone now, and the goalkeeper is not interested in dwelling on it.
“Of course, all these players brought and bring great benefits when they play in their clubs or national teams. And while they play, they’ll always bring benefit. But it goes on. Brazil, Liverpool,” Alisson told ESPN Brasil in comments reported by Goal on 15 October 2026.
Salah gone, Iraola’s new attack in place
Salah’s nine-year spell at Anfield formally ended in the summer, when he signed a two-year contract with Trabzonspor as a free agent on 6 August after scoring 257 goals in 442 appearances for Liverpool. He has already contributed seven goals and three assists in Turkey.
Liverpool rebuilt without him. Andoni Iraola took the dugout after the sacking of Arne Slot, and his first signing was Spain international Víctor Muñoz from Osasuna, triggering a €40 million release clause, in a deal confirmed on 18 June 2026. Bradley Barcola arrived in the same window and marked his first Liverpool goals with a Champions League hat-trick in a 6-3 win over LASK.
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“Liverpool is a great team, we hired new players and already have a very good squad here. Brazil is also still renewing. So things move on,” Alisson said.
The results have not followed yet. Liverpool sit ninth in the Premier League, a start that makes the goalkeeper’s confidence in the new squad a prediction rather than a description.
Brazil’s rebuild under Ancelotti
The international version of the same conversation is shorter. Neymar, Brazil’s all-time top scorer on 80 goals and with 130 caps, confirmed his retirement from the national team on 29 July, weeks after the Seleção were knocked out by Norway in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup on 5 July.
Carlo Ancelotti kept his position after the Norway defeat and has since signed a contract extension through the 2030 World Cup. The task of building a post-Neymar Brazil now belongs to him.
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Alisson, who kept goal in all three of Brazil’s matches at the tournament, framed the generational handover without sentiment, then allowed some.
“Obviously, we have a nostalgic spirit, those who love football have a nostalgic spirit, so they’ll always look at the beautiful moments those players gave their fans. And we will always miss them and want to relive those moments,” he said.
Liverpool return to Premier League action after the current international break with a trip that Iraola’s side need to use to climb out of ninth place.
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