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Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister will be joined by a very familiar face when linking up with Argentina for national team duty, as his brother has been called up for the first time.
Mac Allister has become a key player for Argentina, having won the World Cup in 2022 and lifted the Copa America last year. Mac Allister's brother, Kevin, is also a professional soccer player, and currently plays for Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise.
While Alexis has become a star player at Liverpool, Kevin helped Union SG to the Belgian Pro League title last season, ending a 90-year wait. Now a Champions League player, his efforts have been recognized, and he received a call-up to the Argentina national team for the first time.
Kevin Mac Allister was named as a late replacement for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who suffered a knee injury in the 3-0 win over Wolves on Saturday.
The Union SG defender will join Alexis Mac Allister and Argentina's squad for training in Alicante, Spain, before facing Angola on Nov. 14.
After receiving the call-up, Mac Allister thanked his Union SG teammates for helping him receive international recognition for the first time. "I just want to say thank you to everybody," he said to his teammates.
"Because two hours today, before the game (1-1 draw against Mechelen), I received a call. Tomorrow I am flying to Alicante to be with the national team.
"It will be my first time, and I know I am not there only for me but also thanks to the people in this dressing room. So I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to everybody."
Mac Allister then added: "My family is very happy. When I called my wife she was crying already so it's a really good feeling. Tomorrow I will realise a dream."
The Mac Allister brothers both graduated from the Argentinos Juniors academy and were promoted to the first team in 2016. Alexis quickly began attracting European interest, and in 2019, he signed for Brighton and Hove Albion.
After establishing himself in the Premier League, Mac Allister joined Liverpool in 2023 for an initial $46 million fee. That same year, Union SG signed Kevin Mac Allister to a three-year contract.
Coincidentally, after both moving teams, Liverpool and Union SG were drawn into the same Europa League group during the 2023-24 campaign. After coming off the bench at Anfield, Kevin Mac Allister shared the field with his brother during a 2-0 victory for Liverpool.
After the groups were drawn, Alexis Mac Allister said: "I remember one of the staff told me that we were in the same group. I couldn't believe it. I told him to show me because I thought it wasn't true. For me, it was pretty special."
They last wore the same colors when playing for Argentinos Juniors, but now, they could represent their country together. Angola will host Argentina on Nov. 14 at 11 a.m. ET.
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