Alisson Becker calls third World Cup with Brazil a blessing

Alisson Becker said in New Jersey on June 11 that his third World Cup with Brazil felt less like a routine milestone than a blessing, and he tied that feeling to the goalkeeper he still calls his model. As Brazil prepared to open against Morocco on June 13, the Liverpool keeper placed Claudio Taffarel at the center of his own ambitions, saying the chance to work with the 1994 world champion was a privilege.

That connection carried extra weight because Alisson entered the tournament as only the third Brazilian goalkeeper to start three World Cups, joining Gylmar dos Santos Neves and Taffarel in a small and highly symbolic group. For Brazil, where the position has long been measured against past champions, Alisson’s run is not just about longevity. It is about stepping into a lineage that still defines how success is judged in the national team’s goal.

Taffarel, who turned 60 on May 8, remained on Brazil’s staff as goalkeeping coach and also worked with Carlo Ancelotti at this World Cup. He won the 1994 title and played in the 1990 and 1998 tournaments, a record that still gives his presence unusual authority in the Brazilian camp. Alisson described him as a mentor, inspiration and reference point, someone who steadies him when the pressure rises. The CBF has also emphasized that Taffarel’s daily work and trust have helped shape Alisson’s role at the top level.

Alisson’s own path to the tournament had been interrupted by injuries, including a right thigh problem that kept him out for two months between March and May 2026. FIFA noted that he made nine appearances across his two previous World Cups and was only left out of the starting side once, against Cameroon in Qatar in 2022. He said he arrived physically recovered and ready to treat the competition as a rare chance, while also making clear that criticism never unsettled him.

The Brazilian goalkeeper said Ancelotti’s arrival changed the mood inside the squad, bringing calm and sharper focus to the work. That backdrop mattered as much as the roster around him. Alisson entered this World Cup not only as a veteran of 2018 and 2022, but as the latest keeper asked to carry Brazil’s history with him every time he steps between the posts.