Former Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot says there is an argument to say that Liverpool’s Alisson Becker is the best goalkeeper in the world.
Despite not being nominated for the Yashin Trophy, a snub that has got many Reds fans up in arms, Melchiot claimed that the Brazilian is up there with the very best:
“Alisson, for me, is a good shout. I will not mind giving him number one. I like Alisson as a goalkeeper, I know he can sometimes take his confidence a little bit too far. But I still like him as a goalkeeper. So I might say him.”
Plenty of other pundits would likely agree with Melchiot’s remarks. Despite Liverpool’s struggles in the Premier League last season, Alisson’s performances did not drop off.
While it is somewhat understandable that prizes, like the Yashin Trophy, are handed out to those playing for teams who had more successful campaigns, it is ultimately an individual award.
Who has been nominated instead of Alisson?
The ten nominees for the Yashin Trophy are Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez, Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, Manchester City’s Ederson, Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen, AC Milan’s Mike Maignan, Manchester United’s Andre Onana, Al Hilal’s Yassine Bounou, Fenerbahce’s Dominik Livakovic, Lens’ Brice Samba and Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale.
Out of those, you would argue that Courtois, ter Stegen, Maignan and Samba had excellent seasons in terms of their individual performance. However, the others have been included based on the performance of their club or country.
Alisson will probably not take much notice of the snub but he will hoping to keep up the excellent form he has shown at the start of this season. The 30-year-old has already put in one memorable display, making a number of stops in the 2-1 win over Newcastle, and he will be looking for more of the same going forward.
