Three-and-a-half years ago Alexis Mac Allister assisted Angel Di Maria's second goal as Argentina won a third World Cup title and the first of Lionel Messi's career.
One year ago, Mac Allister was an integral part of a Liverpool team that cantered to the Premier League title, the club's second in 36 years.
Flash forward to now and questions are being raised about Mac Allister's place in the Liverpool team, and there are doubts about whether he can get back to the level he previously exhibited.
Here is the story of Mac Allister's 2025/26 season.
A downturn in form
The midfielder looked a shadow of himself this season.
He frequently looked far too slow to react when needed in midfield, and there are questions as to why that has been.
Mac Allister struggled with the physicality, which has never been his strong point, but he looked more inferior physically this season than previous campaigns.
This is exacerbated by the increased physicality coinciding with his decreased physical proficiency.
Doubtless things were made more difficult for Mac Allister this season, as with a lot of Liverpool players, as the team around him has struggled.
The mileage adding up?
He has been a regular starter in the Premier League since the 2021/22 season with Brighton and Hove Albion playing over 30 league games in each campaign.
Couple that with significant football with his national team and other competitions, Mac Allister has played a lot of football recently, especially taking into account he plays in arguably the most onerous position.
It is therefore understandable that Mac Allister has looked more than a little off the pace this season.
However, with the time off that Liverpool had over last summer, being able to sack off the last four league games and no summer international tournament, it makes it harder to square the lack of athleticism, knowing that he would have had some respite.
At 27, many would have thought that Mac Allister would have at least a few more years left at the top.
Recent history of drop-offs
I think Liverpool fans are in some ways scarred by the steep fall off of Fabinho.
He, like Macca, was a player in his prime, a defensive midfielder with lateral quickness who returned from the summer break in 2022 and seemingly couldn't run anymore.
People worry that the same has happened with Mac Allister and that is possible, but it isn't as obvious as Fabinho.
Time will tell whether he can recover his speed and anticipation and it will be a deep shame if it is lost for good.
As for his future at Liverpool, it remains nebulous with Ryan Gravenberch having been given a new deal and Dominik Szoboszlai being deserving of a new contract.
If Liverpool sign a defensive midfielder and move Gravenberch to the 'eight' position, Macca may find his role in the team diminished next season.
Mac Allister may also be coming off the back of an arduous summer if he makes Argentina's 26-man World Cup squad and La Seleccion make it far.
If he has gotten to the point of losing some explosion, he will need to adapt his game to be able to compete in the Premier League and Champions League chaos at the highest level going forward.
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