Why Alisson won’t ever wear the Liverpool captain’s armband, even though he’s the vice captain
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has welcomed goalkeeper Alisson into his senior leadership group, alongside Dominik Szoboszlai, Joe Gomez, and captain Virgil van Dijk. Alisson is now the vice-captain, having spent eight years at Liverpool and played a big part in the team’s Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup wins under Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot.
However, even though Alisson is vice-captain, he won’t take on the main captain’s role on the pitch when Van Dijk isn’t playing. Liverpool reporter James Pearce shared on X that Premier League rules say only the captain can speak to referees, so if Van Dijk is off the field, either Szoboszlai or Gomez would wear the armband instead.
Alisson’s vice-captain role is more of an honorary title rather than giving him the full captain duties during games. This shows a shift in football, where it’s not as common for goalkeepers to be team captains.
Last season, new rules were introduced by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) saying only the captain can talk to the referee during a match. The Premier League chose to follow this to help reduce arguments and keep respect between players and referees.
The guidelines stress that captains should work with referees to make things fair and respectful. Only they can approach the referee, and they must keep teammates from crowding or interfering. Breaking these rules can lead to a yellow card.
Because of these rules, it’s easy to see why goalkeepers are less often captains in the Premier League. But if the goalkeeper is the captain, the referee has to know before the game which outfield player will talk to the referee when needed.
So, while Alisson’s new vice-captain status is a big honor, it also explains why goalkeepers might not be the go-to leader on the field during a game if the main captain isn’t playing.