Cast your mind back to the day Liverpool clinched the Premier League title under Arne Slot in 2025. Amid the chaos and cheers, a poignant clip showed Alexis Mac Allister sitting alone on the bench, in tears, as the final whistle blew and his teammates flooded the pitch.
That afternoon, after the Argentina midfielder found the net, the eruption inside Anfield reportedly hit 1.74 on the Richter scale—just short of the 2.0 mark for a minor earthquake.
Mac Allister was a driving force that season, central to Liverpool’s title triumph. But a year later, after an injury-disrupted start, he would be the first to concede that 2025-26 did not meet his own standards. It was, by most measures, the least impressive of his three campaigns since arriving from Brighton for £35m in 2023.
Inevitably, questions about his future surfaced over the summer. Yet his standout World Cup displays have offered reassurance to new head coach Andoni Iraola—even if they delay the pair’s first meeting.
Barring Argentina’s final group game, once qualification was secured, the 27-year-old has played every minute for his country, including 120 against both Cape Verde and Switzerland. Only Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martínez has featured more for Argentina.
Across those matches, Mac Allister has logged 539 minutes, won 31 duels, made 10 tackles and nine interceptions, and applied high pressure 208 times—figures that place him among the tournament’s top performers.
“I feel like maybe the number eight position, also double number six (double pivot), is my best position, but I can play anywhere,” he told ESPN last month.
That versatility suits Iraola’s demands for an all-action midfield in a high-pressing, direct system. Regardless of Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final against England, Argentina will remain in the United States through the weekend for either the third-place play-off or the final.
Under Fifa rules, World Cup players are entitled to at least three weeks off, so anyone involved this weekend won’t be back with their clubs before 10 August—less than a fortnight before the Premier League kicks off.
That likely means Mac Allister won’t be ready to start the opening weeks. Even so, Iraola knows he has a proven winner to build around. “It’s always about winning,” Mac Allister said on Saturday after scoring in the quarter-final against Switzerland.
His résumé already includes a World Cup, a Copa América, and a Premier League title. Remarkably, he is the only player with 12 World Cup appearances and 12 wins.
He’s no stranger to the big stage now—and Wednesday’s semi-final, pitting him against England’s midfield, could be the clearest sign yet that he remains a major asset when it matters most.