Alexis Mac Allister (foto: Getty Images)
The Liverpool midfielder has never lost a World Cup match and will take a record 13-game unbeaten sequence into Sunday’s final against Spain.
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Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal will naturally dominate the build-up to Sunday’s World Cup final between Argentina and Spain. Both teams, however, possess less celebrated players who have developed an extraordinary habit of winning.
Mikel Oyarzabal has repeatedly delivered decisive moments for Spain. Argentina’s unlikely talisman is Alexis Mac Allister, the tireless Liverpool midfielder from Santa Rosa.
Mac Allister has appeared in 13 World Cup matches without suffering a single defeat. No player in the history of the competition has previously enjoyed a longer unbeaten sequence.
His record consists of 11 victories and two draws. Both drawn matches were subsequently won by Argentina in penalty shootouts, meaning Mac Allister has advanced every time he has stepped onto a World Cup pitch.
The unusual sequence began at the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Mac Allister did not play in Argentina’s shocking opening defeat against Saudi Arabia, which remains the national team’s most recent World Cup loss.
He entered the starting line-up for the second group match against Mexico and retained his place for the remainder of the tournament. Argentina recovered from its opening setback and eventually defeated France in the final.
Mac Allister played an important role in that triumph. He scored against Poland during the group stage and provided the pass from which Ángel Di María doubled Argentina’s lead in the final.
Four years later, Lionel Scaloni still considers him an essential part of his midfield. Mac Allister does not attract the attention received by Messi, but his tactical intelligence, pressing and ability to connect Argentina’s defensive and attacking lines make him extremely valuable.
He has started 12 of his 13 World Cup appearances. On the only occasion he began among the substitutes, he still entered the match and helped Argentina extend the sequence.
Across his two World Cups, Mac Allister has contributed two goals and two assists. Those numbers tell only a small part of his story.
The 27-year-old performs much of the work that allows Argentina’s more expressive players to flourish. He covers space, wins possession and offers Scaloni several tactical options because he can operate as a defensive midfielder, a number eight or closer to the attack.
Mac Allister has represented Argentina at the senior level since 2019 and has already won the World Cup, Copa América and Finalissima. He has also become a Premier League champion with Liverpool.
His international career began quietly. He was initially better known as the son of former Argentina defender Carlos Mac Allister and as one of three footballing brothers. His performances with Brighton and Argentina eventually earned him a move to Liverpool in 2023.
He now approaches the biggest match in football as an automatic starter for the defending world champions.
Spain will present Mac Allister with perhaps the most difficult test of his international career. Luis de la Fuente’s European champions have gone 37 matches without defeat in normal or extra time and have conceded only once during this World Cup.
Argentina, meanwhile, have won all seven of their matches at the tournament and are unbeaten in their last 13 World Cup fixtures.
Something must therefore give in New Jersey. Spain’s remarkable team sequence will collide with Argentina’s attempt to become the first country since Brazil in 1962 to retain the World Cup.
At the centre of that battle will be a midfielder who has never experienced World Cup defeat.
If Argentina overcomes Spain, Mac Allister will extend his personal record to 14 unbeaten matches and become a world champion for the second time before his 28th birthday.