What Alisson Becker has been doing in international break as Liverpool future remains uncertain

01:00, 29 Sep 2026Updated 10:53, 29 Sep 2026

Alisson Becker has been enjoying an international break with a difference this month.

The Liverpool goalkeeper has been Brazil’s first-choice goalkeeper for the majority of his international career, first making the jersey his own when handed his debut back in October 2015.

Since then, he has won 83 international caps and won the 2019 Copa America with his country. On occasions he has alternated with long-term adversary Ederson Moraes. But for the majority of the past decade, it has only been injury that has kept him out of the Brazil goal.

But that changed this month after Carlo Ancelotti opted to drop the Reds shot-stopper along with a number of senior internationals following a disappointing showing at the 2026 World Cup.

Alisson had been an ever-present for Brazil as they suffered a shock round-of-16 exit to Norway. And when international football returned this month, Ancelotti opted to look to the future - though he did not shut the door entirely on the Liverpool goalkeeper from returning as his number one.

“We are motivated by the fact that we have time to prepare for a new cycle and get ready for the upcoming competitions,” he explained. "That doesn't mean the others are excluded.

"We know Alisson very well, and when the competitions - like the Copa America - come, if he remains being the best goalkeeper in Brazil, Alisson will play. Right now, however, we have to prioritise the younger ones.

"I chose these players - Marquinhos, Gabriel [Magalhaes], Bruno [Guimaraes], Raphinha, and Vini Jr. - to help with this change in direction. They are crucial for the future.

"We are confident in their commitment to quality, seriousness and professionalism, and they will help the younger players improve. That doesn't mean other players won't be involved.

“We prioritised younger players for these friendlies to gather more precise information on everyone. It is possible that, by the time we reach the competitions, players not on this list today could be on the final squad.

"One thing is certain: a player who is 34 or 35 years old isn't the future; they are the present. If a player of that age is ready to play in a major tournament, they will be in the national squad."

Brazil will take to the field for the first time in the expanded September/October international break on Tuesday when they face Australia, before locking horns with India next Saturday in two international friendlies. Further friendlies against Japan and Singapore are scheduled for November.

Having often been plagued by injury throughout his Liverpool career, Reds bosses will not be upset that Alisson has been spared trips to Brisbane and Kolkata. Especially with Man City as the opposition for Andoni Iraola’s side when they return to action on Sunday 11 October.

Despite his international absence, Alisson has been in good form for Liverpool so far this season.

An ever-present in the Premier League and Champions League, he has kept clean sheets in his last three English top-flight outings and was nominated for save of the month after getting down low to deny Evanilson with a fine reflex save in the Reds’ 1-0 win over Bournemouth last time out.

His return between the sticks for Liverpool has been most-welcome, having missed a significant proportion of last season.

The 33-year-old sat out 19 games with hamstring injuries at various points across the campaign, and only returned in goal for the Reds’ final game of the season. His comeback came after his latest stint on the sidelines lasted 10 matches as Liverpool were knocked out of both Champions League and FA Cup without him, while also stumbling to a fifth-place Premier League finish.

He could have called time on his Reds career in the summer too amid interest from Juventus, only for Liverpool to insist they wanted the Brazilian to stay put. Now inside the final year of his contract, it remains to be seen if he will be offered an extension.

In truth, it is his chequered injury past rather than performance that creates such uncertainty, with his future one thing incoming sporting director Julian Ward will need to resolve.

Reds bosses have plotted for a future beyond Alisson regardless, whenever that time might come.

While the jury remains out on Giorgi Mamardashvili's long-term standing, the likes of Vitezlsav Jaros, Armin Pecsi and Lucca Brughmans are also in place at Anfield with the latter pair snapped up in each of the past two summers as Liverpool started to carry out their succession-planning.

But in the mean-time, Alisson remains the Reds’ undisputed first-choice goalkeeper. And while not away with his country or fighting to return from injury during the current international break, he has been spending his time a little differently.

The veteran enjoyed a brief trip to Venice last week, with his wife, Natalia, sharing a number of pictures of the pair on holiday in Italy on her Instagram page. Alongside the snaps, she wrote: “24 hours in Venice, with him”.

Meanwhile, she has also shared pictures of the pair working together in the gym on her Instagram story.

Iraola afforded his non-internationals some time off at the start of the break, but they will soon return to work at the AXA Training Centre ahead of the majority of their team-mates reporting back for duty.

“We will still train, but it's true that we are training with four or five players because most of the team is playing with the national team,” he revealed after beating Bournemouth. “The players will have now some days off and then we will keep working with the ones that stay.

“Then we will prepare well for when the others come and you have no more than three days probably to prepare for the [Manchester] City game. We are ready not just for that game, but for the run of games that we have that is going to be demanding.”

Alisson will return fit, refreshed and raring to go following some well-deserved time off as Liverpool look to maintain their unbeaten start under Iraola against their old title-foes.

And while his future beyond this season might currently remain uncertain, if he can remain free of injury, it will go a long way to silencing any possible doubts about offering the long-serving goalkeeper a contract extension.

And if Ancelotti continues to spare him international duty, there will be no complaints from the red half of Merseyside with such a decision doing Alisson’s chances of an Anfield stay no harm.

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