It is a moment that captures the emotional toll of elite football: as Liverpool sealed the Premier League title under Arne Slot in 2025, Alexis Mac Allister sat alone on the bench and began to cry. The Argentina midfielder had scored that day, setting off celebrations that registered 1.74 on the Richter scale, just shy of the 2.0 needed for a minor earthquake. He was integral to that title-winning campaign.
But 12 months later, the picture looks very different. The 2025-26 season was undoubtedly the poorest of Mac Allister's three campaigns since his £35m move from Brighton in 2023. Hampered by injury problems from the outset, he would be the first to admit it fell below his own standards. Inevitably, questions about his future at Anfield swirled this summer.
“Mac Allister shines at World Cup after poor Liverpool season, raising questions about his Anfield future.”
Now, however, Mac Allister is reminding everyone of his quality on the biggest stage. At the World Cup, he has been a near-ever-present for Argentina. Bar one group game when qualification was already secured, the 27-year-old has played every minute – including 120 minutes in extra-time victories against Cape Verde and Switzerland. Only goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has logged more minutes for the defending champions.
Mac Allister's stats underline his influence: 539 minutes played, 31 duels won, 10 tackles, nine interceptions and 208 high-pressure actions – numbers that place him among the tournament's top performers. “I feel like maybe the number eight position, also double number six, is my best position, but I can play anywhere,” he told ESPN last month.
That versatility will be food for thought for new Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola, whose high-press system demands all-action midfielders who are direct. However, Iraola will have to wait. After Wednesday's World Cup semi-final against England, Argentina will remain in the United States until the weekend – either for the final or third-place play-off. Under Fifa regulations, World Cup players are entitled to at least three weeks off, meaning anyone featuring this weekend will not return to their club before 10 August, less than two weeks before the Premier League season begins.
So Mac Allister may not be ready for the opening weeks of the campaign. But Iraola knows that when he builds his midfield, he has a proven winner. “It's always about winning,” Mac Allister said on Saturday. The question is whether Liverpool can give him the platform to win again.