Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker warned incoming shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili that he isn’t planning on going anywhere any time soon.
The Brazilian turns 33 at the start of next season but remains as brilliant as ever. Alisson once again defied expected goals metrics to prevent more goals than the average keeper and was in inspired form on the continent. A player Liverpool boss Arne Slot hailed as “the best goalkeeper in the world” boasted an outrageous save ratio of 89% in the 2024–25 Champions League season.
Mamardashvili’s £29 million ($39.2 million) move to Liverpool was confirmed last summer, but the Georgian custodian spent the previous campaign on loan at Valencia. The 24-year-old did not enjoy his best campaign, although—much like the rest of his teammates—improved in the second half of the season.
A breakout star at Euro 2024, Mamardashvili has previously warned that he is gunning for Alisson’s No. 1 starting spot when he joins Liverpool for the 2025–26 campaign. The club’s current goalkeeper not only has not intention of stepping aside, but warned that he is planning to remain on Merseyside until at least 2027.
“I’ve never been able to plan long term,” Alisson shrugged while on international duty with Brazil this week. “Obviously now I have one year left on my contract and another year of club option, which they will probably exercise.”
There is scarcely a single statistical metric by which Mamardashvili has outperformed Alisson in recent seasons. However, unlike his new teammate, the durable Georgian has only missed three games through injury since joining Valencia in 2022. Over the same period, Alisson has sat out 50 matches.
However, if the injury-prone South American does pull up next season, Mamardashvili won’t have a free run at a spot between the posts.
