The Brazilian is the only shot-stopper in this year’s Goal 50, which will rank the top 25 male and female footballers of 2018-19
Alisson and Ederson are set to square off in the Premier League at Anfield this weekend but the Liverpool goalkeeper has already got one over on his Manchester City counterpart in Goal 50.
Alisson is the only male shot-stopper included in this year’s list of the best players in the world, underlining precisely why the 27-year-old is Brazil‘s No.1 ahead of Ederson.
City ace Ederson – who is hoping to be fit to face his compatriot on Merseyside this Sunday despite being forced off with a minor injury against Atalanta on Wednesday night – has actually lifted more trophies than Alisson over the past 12 months, having helped Pep Guardiola’s side record a domestic treble in 2018-19 – and then beat Liverpool on penalties in this season’s Community Shield.
However, after arriving from Roma for a then world-record fee for a goalkeeper of £66.8 million ($82.5m) last summer, Alisson played a pivotal role in transforming Liverpool’s defence into the meanest in the Premier League.
Although the Reds finished one point behind reigning champions City in an absorbing Premier League title race, Jurgen Klopp’s side were crowned champions of Europe by beating Tottenham in the Champions League final, with Alisson playing a starring role in the 2-0 win at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid.
The Internacional academy product then returned to Brazil, where he conceded just one goal in six appearances as the Selecao claimed the Copa America on home soil.
As such, Alisson is also in contention to claim the men’s award in this year’s Goal 50, alongside Reds team-mates Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, as well as superstar duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The 2019 edition of the award is made up of men and women for the first time, with the players divided into two top 25 rankings, both of which will be revealed in full on Tuesday, November 12.
Chief editors and correspondents from Goal’s 42 editions around the world cast their votes based on each candidate’s consistency, big-game performances, footballing legacy and success at club and international level.
We now know that Alisson is the only male goalkeeper to have made the cut but we won’t know the overall winners until Tuesday, when the rest of the results are published.
As always, there will be plenty to debate, so don’t miss it!
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