Alisson Becker Named Vice-Captain at Liverpool
Alisson Becker has been handed a promotion at Liverpool – but not the armband.
The Brazilian has been confirmed as the club’s new vice-captain under Andoni Iraola, yet he will not lead the team out even if Virgil van Dijk is missing. That responsibility will fall to an outfielder, with Dominik Szoboszlai the likeliest candidate.
Why Alisson won’t wear the armband
The decision has nothing to do with status or influence in the dressing room. It comes down to the Premier League’s rules on who can speak to the referee.
Only the captain is allowed to approach the officials over major calls. For Iraola, that makes it impractical for a goalkeeper to be the official skipper.
“I explained to Alisson that it's not going to be possible that he wears the armband because with the new rule I think there is a big limitation if a goalkeeper wears the armband,” Iraola said.
If a flashpoint erupts in the opposition box, a goalkeeper captain has to sprint the length of the pitch just to get an explanation. Iraola has lived that headache before.
“I had one season with Neto in Bournemouth and then you have to start every game to say a different player that can act as a captain, and this is not viable,” he added.
So Alisson, at the club since 2018 and now in the final year of his contract, holds the title of vice-captain but will not physically wear the band. When Van Dijk is absent, Szoboszlai – Liverpool’s player of the season last campaign – is expected to take on the role on the pitch, with Joe Gomez also part of the new leadership group.
Iraola stressed he wanted Alisson to feel fully valued despite the technicality.
“But I wanted him to feel like we value him. I've had enough time and we will have more time to know each other, but I had to explain also the decision about the armband to Ali,” he said. “Because he is a goalkeeper and unfortunately they are putting the rules in a way that there is a lot of disadvantages to having a goalkeeper as a captain.”
New leaders after Robertson and Salah
The reshaping of Liverpool’s hierarchy comes after the departures of Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah, two of the most influential figures of the Jürgen Klopp era.
Iraola has responded by elevating Szoboszlai and Gomez, the club’s longest-serving player, into a formal leadership group alongside Van Dijk and Alisson. The message is clear: a new core is forming.
He is not alarmed by the changing of the guard.
“We lost a lot in terms of experience, high-level players who have performed so well for so many years here,” he admitted. “But I think it is also a natural thing in clubs.
“I think we have a lot of young players willing to take those minutes and ready to take those leadership roles. Overall, I am very happy with the attitude of the players in the pre-season.”
A new manager, a redefined captaincy structure, and a fresh set of voices in the dressing room. Liverpool are not just changing faces; they are rewriting who leads them into the next era.
