Alexis Mac Allister reveals forgotten Liverpool star who inspired Premier League dream

Alexis Mac Allister is loving life at Liverpool. And it is a former Reds star who helped inspire him to become a Premier League star: Maxi Rodriguez.

Mac Allister has become a huge fan favourite on Merseyside since his move from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer of 2023. His £35m move has been made to look a bargain and he made 35 appearances for Arne Slot's side last season as they won the title.

The Argentina international, a World Cup winner in 2022, joined Brighton in 2019 but was immediately loaned back to Boca Juniors - whose La Bombonera stadium is renowned as one of the most atmospheric in world football. Now, speaking to GQ, he has likened the support of the Boca faithful to that which he now enjoys at Anfield, while revealing how getting into football was never not going to happen.

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Mac Allister said: "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.

"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.

"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 and Argentina look to defend their World Cup crown next summer in USA, Canada and Mexico, having triumphed in Qatar. He emerged as a key player for Lionel Scaloni's head, a cooling head in the centre of midfield, pushed into a starting role after their shock opening loss to Saudi Arabia.

"To play in a World Cup is really special. I had the opportunity to play in one and we won it, which is not easy at all. Qatar was in the middle of a season so this one is going to be different.

"But I don't think about the future. I know some players worry about getting injured before the World Cup, but I don't think that way. I always say that you have to go 100 percent every single game.

"It's not going to be easy [to win back-to-back World Cups] because there will be a lot of good teams, really good players and we understand it's not easy to win two in a row. But we hope the next one is a big one for Argentina as well, and that we can defend the trophy and win another one. That's the mentality we have – we always want more."

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