An explosion of colour and a wave of love greeted Brighton & Hove Albion’s World Cup winning hero, Alexis Mac Allister, upon his return to English soil on Monday, where a ticker-tape reception at the club’s Elite Football Performance Centre welcomed the 24-year-old home.
Life for the Argentina midfielder, after the dizzying events of the past six weeks, will never be the same and yet after flying in from Buenos Aires on Monday morning, after two weeks of celebrations, rest and recuperation, Mac Allister swiftly declared himself fit and ready for Brighton’s Premier League visit to Everton on Tuesday evening.
The enormity of what Mac Allister has achieved has, he admits, yet to really sink in. “I cannot believe that I won the World Cup,” Mac Allister says, with that endearing grin. “It’s an amazing feeling. One that every player dreams of. I can’t remember a lot of things [of the past two weeks]. But the most important [memory] is when I lifted that trophy.”
“I really enjoyed time with my family and friends. In Argentina I couldn’t go out because the people were crazy, ringing the door bell at my house at 8am — I couldn’t rest much,” he says. “And the day we went out [on an open-top bus] in Buenos Aires . . . five million people in the streets. I never thought I would live a moment like this one. We got emotional of course. But it was a moment I will keep in my mind for ever.”
A replica of the World Cup trophy was on hand yesterday, which Mac Allister held aloft as he was serenaded by team-mates and staff. “It wasn’t heavy like the real one, but it was a nice moment,” Mac Allister says, smiling.
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The hope of everyone at the Amex Stadium, of course, is that Mac Allister will reject any advances from the many suitors reportedly weighing up a move for one of the World Cup’s biggest breakout stars. Roberto De Zerbi, the Brighton head coach, yesterday urged Mac Allister to remain at “home” on the south coast until at least the summer.
“I’m focused on Brighton,” Mac Allister says. “They know how grateful I am of this club, and I don’t have any rush to leave. I’m really happy here. I enjoy every day. I’m just focused on Brighton.”
Mac Allister was brought by Lionel Scaloni, the Argentina manager, into the side after the shock defeat against Saudi Arabia in their opening game and never looked back. He started all six remaining fixtures, scored in a crucial 2-0 group C win against Poland, and set up Argentina’s magnificent, sweeping second goal against France, finished off by Ángel Di María, in the final. “A year or two ago I didn’t think I was going to make it — even one month before the World Cup I didn’t know if I was going to go or not,” he says.
“I didn’t feel pressure, I didn’t feel nervous. The day of the final I slept two hours of siesta. Of course we knew it was going to be maybe the best day of our life — and it was.”
It was some journey, too. “There were three moments where we reacted in the way we had to react,” he says. “The first one was after the defeat in the first game. That was a tough moment, but we knew it was up to us, and we reacted really well.
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“Then against the Netherlands [in the quarter-final] and France — both were similar, because we were winning until they scored two quick goals. We reacted in that moment. We knew we had a very good team and could win the trophy.”
Mac Allister says he “learned” how to play with Messi as the tournament progressed, and explains how proud he feels to have helped the Argentina’s No 10 to lift the one trophy that had eluded him.
“Every match that we played together we felt even more comfortable with each other,” Mac Allister says. “We have got a good connection, we understand each other on the pitch, and that was very important for me and the team.
“There was one moment against Mexico when Messi was not touching the ball as he wanted, so he was playing a bit deeper. When he went deeper he told me to go higher and receive the ball in the pocket. So he helped me to understand the game, to know where to receive the ball and we had a very good connection throughout the World Cup.
“We don’t want him to leave the national team. He said it was going to be his last World Cup, but we don’t want that. We want him to stay with us. He knows it. So let’s see what happens.
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“He sent a message to us yesterday [Sunday], wishing us a very good year. He was very grateful to us. After the game we couldn’t speak too much because we wanted to celebrate. I think we still don’t realise what we achieved, but in the next five or ten years we will.”
