“There Aren’t Many Players Like Alexis”: Carlos Mac Allister on Playing Career, Alexis’ Progress at Liverpool

Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool celebrates scoring his goal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Liverpool FC (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Since hanging up his boots in 1999, Carlos Mac Allister served as a manager for Argentine clubs, Argentinos Juniors and Belgrano. He’s also worked in the Argentine government as a deputy and a Secretary of Sports, and has built his own football club from the ground up alongside his brother, Patricio.

As he approaches 57 years of age, Carlos could easily afford to retire and instead travel around the world, watching his sons play football, but instead, he’s remained put in his hometown and remains focused on improving Club Deportivo Mac Allister and leading them all the way to the first division of Argentina. The club boasts youth teams for girls and boys from the age of four all the way to the senior level, and, after a quarter-century of consistent investment, it shows no signs of slowing down.

RG sat down with Mac Allister to learn more (you can read the first part of the interview here).

The Superclásico between River Plate and Boca Juniors is arguably the most intense rivalry in the entire footballing world. What was it like playing in a Superclásico?

“The Superclásico is basically life or death in a sporting context. Argentines are very competitive and aggressive, we don’t like to lose, and that’s why a lot of teams look for Argentine players. The day after the derby, the entire country will be talking about who won, who lost, and how the game went. My first Superclásico was incredible, we won 1-0 in Boca’s stadium. We were doing very well at that time, keeping 10 clean sheets in 19 matches, which was a league record at the time. We had a very good defensive system where we all worked hard to prevent the opponent from scoring, and that was fundamental for us to win the title.”

You had the chance to play alongside Diego Maradona, and play against Ronaldo, whilst your son Alexis has played with Lionel Messi. Who do you think is the best player of all time?

“Before, it was Maradona, but now, I think the best player ever is Messi. When you look at the numbers he’s put up over the years, it’s simply unprecedented. There have been so many great players like Maradona, Johan Cruyff, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Alfred Di Stéfano, but to be the best player in the world for 16-17 seasons doesn’t just require you to be a good footballer, but to be a thoughtful man who’s well-prepared, well-trained, humble and responsible in his mannerisms. When you’re the best in the world, you think you can do anything, but Messi has the necessary balance, is very family-oriented and happy.”

How did Alexis’ move to Liverpool come to fruition, and what have you made of his progress so far at Anfield?

“When he was about to play in Qatar, we sat down with Brighton and negotiated a good release clause, so that he could deliver a good performance in the World Cup and go to a bigger team, which he did. We chose Liverpool because Klopp wanted him a lot, and they were going through a rebuild. Klopp fell in love with him and gave him a lot of opportunities, which he did not waste.

Alexis is making his mark and having an extraordinary season in a team that is playing very well.

He delivered a fantastic World Cup and a very good Copa América and has shown unique attributes. People mostly talk about Alexis’ offensive abilities, but he also has the seventh-most recoveries in the Premier League. There are many footballers who attack well, many who defend well, but there aren’t many like Alexis who attack and defend well.”

How would you compare Alexis’ performances under Jürgen Klopp vs. Arne Slot?

“He was perhaps a bit more defensive under Klopp, but the difference is that, as you achieve more success, you become more confident.  And as you are having success, and you are having confidence, you are increasingly encouraged to do more things, right? And that is what I see. When you’re worried about not making mistakes, you probably won’t be doing amazing things. When you’re daring enough to shoot from distance or make that precise pass, you can shine. Alexis is encouraged to do more difficult things and proving to be an outstanding footballer, and he’s showing that he still has room for growth.”

Your other son Kevin is playing in Belgium. What have you made of his development at Union Saint-Gilloise?

“Kevin is very good in the air, very aggressive and good at marking, he’s a very good professional who always gives 100%. He is the defender with the second-most recoveries in Belgium; he’s starting every game and has already scored two headers. I think he’s ready to make the next step and in June, he’ll have the possibility of joining a mid-table team in Spain or Italy.”

For those of us who were too young to see you play, how would you describe yourself as a footballer?

“Similarly to Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella, I was a left back who wasn’t the flashiest, but I worked hard and was productive. I was very good in the air, anticipated well, and was always focused. Whenever they’d send off a player or whenever there was an issue, I was always trying to find the best way to go forward and resolve the issue. I was never celebrating the goal with the team, but instead would be speaking with the coach to see if there was anything that needed to be changed. Above all, I was a team player.”

Do you regret hanging up your boots at 30 years old?

“Yes, I regret stopping when I was very young. When I was 14, I was already playing in my town’s first division against players who were 30 years old. I was already living the life of a professional when I moved to Buenos Aires at 18 and started playing in Argentina’s top-flight. At 30, I was so tired of having so much responsibility.

All around the world, there are millions of people who go to work and do something they don’t love. God gave me the possibility to do something that I love… I enjoyed it very much and am proud of what I achieved. The life of a footballer is extraordinary, and I always tell my kids to try to play for as many years as possible because this is the most beautiful career in the world.”

You founded Club Deportivo Mac Allister in 1998 and 27 years later, it’s still going strong. How has that process been for you?

“My brother and I were 32 and 30 when we founded it, so this has been our lifelong profession. We know what it’s like to play football, we know all the problems that footballers face. It’s an institution that has no debt or deficits, which is something that’s very hard to do in Argentina. Here, all the clubs have debts and deficits and are facing lawsuits, but we’ve been able to maintain this beautiful project.

The first team plays in the Liga Pampe, or the fifth tier, but hopefully, in 5-6 years, we’ll be playing against Boca or River in the top-flight…we aspire to keep improving it so that when we have all the infrastructure ready, our kids will be able to continue the work and take it to the highest level. We bought the land next to our club, and we’ve now built two training fields and a healthcare unit.”

Is it tough to build a long-term project in Argentina?

“We live in a country where the mere thought of a 30-year project is crazy, people treated us like we were insane when we founded the club, but the passing of time has proven that you can do long-term projects. Once the infrastructure is done, we’ll start churning out a lot more money and directing that to the first team so that we can rise through the divisions. There are a lot of players who’ve developed here and left to play in bigger clubs, but when we’re in the top tier, they will stay put. We also have summer camps, where kids come from other cities or countries to train with us for a week or a month or 6 months, they get intensive training sessions, education, food, training assistance in the gym, so that they are better physically and mentally. We want them to be competitive, but we also want them to win with respect and lose with nobility. We want them to play with desire and passion, be responsible and understand that in order for their dreams to come true, they need to work hard every day."

What was it like watching Alexis win a World Cup with Argentina?

It was very special for me. Alexis didn’t play a single minute in the first match, which Argentina lost, but then he did very well in the second game and started improving. To see all the newspapers in the world talk about him as one of the revelations of the tournament was incredible. I’m a calm person who tries to stay objective and rational, but I got very emotional…

It was impossible to control these emotions.

When Lionel Scaloni took charge in 2018, Argentina hadn’t won anything in 25 years. Since then, they’ve won a World Cup and two Copa América titles. How important has he been in their renaissance?

“He’s been very important. He’s understood the decisions that needed to be made and took them, he had to reorganize the team and leave various big-name footballers out. We saw this in the World Cup, where after the loss to Saudi Arabia in the opener, he included youngsters like Alexis, Enzo Fernández and Julián Álvarez. He had the courage to take on the responsibility and make these tough decisions.”

What was it like working in the Argentine government?

“I learned a lot of things working in politics…it was very enriching. As a deputy, I had to go around the neighborhoods of my city, and that allowed me to see other lifestyles, people who were struggling and needed help. As the Secretary of Sports, I made 100 trips throughout the interior of Argentina and went to all the nation’s provinces, which allowed us to put together a federal project and unite everyone. I am not interested in holding office today, but I continue to assist my province’s deputies in whatever they need. We must have a thriving country that’s open to investment, with honest workers who can generate wealth, Argentina must be a world power just like it was in the 1950s.”

I was reading an interview of yours from 2004 in El Gráfico, where you said you were still finding your way. 21 years later, have you found it?

“It’s a good question. I’ve always done what I wanted to do in life, and not everyone can say the same. We live in a country where it’s white today and black tomorrow. It’s not easy to find your path, but I’ve really enjoyed the path I’ve been on, with the values that I hold dearly to me. I never try to do something with a negative spirit but instead, a constructive one. Everything that you sow, you’ll reap.”

Lastly, there are fathers all around the world who want their sons to become a professional footballer. You’ve fathered not one, but three professional footballers. What’s your secret?

“The first thing I’d say is that a parent’s goal should never be for their child to become successful in their profession, but instead educate them to become happy. Boys will be boys, they aren’t machines. They’re going to make the same mistakes that we did when we were kids. You need to have the patience to educate them, advise them, and speak with them. Never making mistakes isn’t a good thing…they need to know that these mistakes can cause damage, they need to know not to do it again. If they want to become footballers, they need to take care of themselves, they can’t go out at night and smoke and drink, they need to be working hard to be footballers. The most important thing is to live your life with passion. As long as your child is passionate and works hard, you’ll have done your part to put them on the right path.”