‘Fighter’ Alexis Mac Allister on Juan Roman Riquelme’s influence, Diego Maradona and learning at Brighton

Exclusive interview: The Argentine is thriving on the south coast with the Seagulls in their bid to beat relegation in the Premier League

Alexis Mac Allister vies with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Getty)

The magic of the No10 can be seen when a player picks the lock to open up a defence.

Alexis Mac Allister revelled in this role to inspire victory over Tottenham last weekend, flourishing in what Graham Potter described as Brighton’s “best performance this season and last”.

It was a performance made over many years idolising a player who perhaps epitomises the role better than anybody in the modern era: Juan Roman Riquelme.

“I couldn’t pick just one part of Riquelme’s game, he was fantastic while he was playing,” Mac Allister tells The Independent while detailing his inspiration as a child growing up in La Pampa. “He was the best for me, just like [Lionel] Messi, [Andres] Iniesta, Ronaldinho and that calibre of player.

“What we call in Argentina a ‘crack’, he was such a big influence for me as a child growing up.”

The bearded Argentine is now a world away from the dried-out pitches where he learned his craft alongside his two brothers at Argentinos Juniors.

And it suits him, on the slick Amex surface Mac Allister’s recent form has justified the faith shown by Potter with his bravery in possession, accelerating the development from neat and tidy possession into a more dangerous threat in the final third.

Like all great playmakers there is a need to paint a picture before the ball arrives and Mac Allister “understands where his team-mates are”, Potter recently told the Argus. The fizzed ball into the space behind a scrambling Ben Davies on Sunday night was a perfect example, which eventually saw Leo Trossard strike to secure a vital three points, moving the Seagulls seven points clear of Fulham and the relegation zone.

Already a favourite among the Brighton fans, having scored an injury-time equaliser in the derby against Crystal Palace, Mac Allister has quickly settled on the south coast since arriving for £11.25m from Boca last year. His father, Carlos, who featured for both Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors and La Albiceleste, was both a teammate and friend of the late Diego Maradona, who had an unsurprisingly profound effect on a young Mac Allister.

“Diego was a friend to my father, he tried to say, ‘he’s Diego, but also he’s my friend, a normal person’,” Mac Allister remembers. “Diego helped my father so much, he’s grateful for that and very important to his career.

“I was lucky because I knew Diego and was able to enjoy a few moments with him. It was fantastic to know him and now I truly wish the best to his family.”

Described by his manager as both “intelligent” and “a fighter”, Mac Allister’s smooth adjustment to life in England, with 10 key passes in his last four games, is partly down to Potter’s style of management, which he likens to former Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze.

“I think he [Potter] is similar to Gabriel Heinze as a manager,” Mac Allister says. “He was my manager in Argentinos Juniors and I learned a lot from him.

“They are similar because they are tactical managers and they want to keep the ball in every match. They are similar and I like the way that Graham wants to play. I learned a lot of things from Gabriel and he’s been a big influence for me after helping to develop me a lot.”

Tonight brings a different kind of challenge for Mac Allister, who is managing a glute injury, and Brighton, with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool ominously rediscovering their edge. But Potter has Brighton believing in his project more than ever and Mac Allister is primed to grab a starring role.