Alisson reveals how hard he found it to leave Roma

The Brazil international joined Liverpool in the summer for what was at the time a world record fee for a goalkeeper, bringing to a close two years in the Italian capital where he established himself as one of the finest goalkeepers in the world.

But, in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday, Alisson revealed that the decision to leave was far from an easy one.

“Leaving Roma was very difficult. I cried for a long time, along with my wife,” he said. “We have to be honest; I made a professional decision, to move forward in my career, and Roma received a huge fee.

“I made the decision to go to Liverpool with my head, but my heart was still full of tears anyway. I had two special years with Roma. My daughter was born there, I have a lot of friends there – even outside football.”

He added: “I thought about it a lot, because I was very happy in Rome. In Italy I learned a lot thanks to [goalkeeper coach] Marco Savorani, who was crucial in helping both me and Wojciech Szczesny develop. He is one of the most important people in my life, he helped me on and off the pitch.”

The goalkeeper was asked about the differences between Serie A and the Premier League, based on his experiences so far.

“It’s not very different in England,” he said. “It’s a bit less intense in Italy.

“Juventus’s domination is based on economic strength. In the Premier League every team can buy top players, but in Serie A that’s not the case. Beyond that, the stadiums are just as atmospheric. A big difference is the pitches, in England they are always perfect.”

He was also asked which was the more electrifying spectacle; the Kop at Anfield or the Curva Sud at the Olimpico.

“That’s a good battle!” he joked. “They are two sets of incredible fans that have few rivals around the world. You feel the Kop behind you, but when the Curva is full it is incredible.”

He added: “For Roma, the derby can change everything. The difficulties at the start of the season make sense, given all the players that came and left. But the new signings are great and when they really understand what Di Francesco wants from them then the results will come.”