Thursday, February 25, 2021 at 07:17• Daniel Cabot Kerkdijk • Last update: 07:54

José Agostinho Becker, former goalkeeper and father of Alisson Becker (Liverpool) and Muriel Becker (Fluminense), has drowned, Brazilian media report. The 57-year-old man was found dead by police and fire after being reported missing for several hours. The goalkeepers’ social media channels are inundated with statements of support.

Becker senior was a great practitioner of diving and fishing. Brazilian media claim that he died below the water surface for unknown reasons. The goalkeeper’s father would have gone for a swim and suddenly disappeared. The incident took place in a lake on the Becker family site in Lavras do Sul, more than 300 kilometers from Porto Alegre.

José Agostinho Becker was a former goalkeeper who inspired both of his sons to pursue professional careers. Alisson was thirteen years old when the family considered for financial reasons to end his training at Internacional, partly because his older brother Muriel excelled in the youth of o Clube do Povo. Goalkeeping coach Daniel Pavan convinced the family that the effort would be worth it and so it happened.

Alisson, 28, has played a total of 130 games for Internacional and ended up at Liverpool via AS Roma, winning the league title and the Champions League. The Brazilian international was the most expensive goalkeeper in the world for several weeks. Muriel Becker, who is six years his senior, has a career in his own country. He stayed with Internacionale until 2017 and has been with Fluminense since 2019.