World Cup 2022: Argentina's Alexis Mac Allister has roots in county Antrim village

From the Glens of Antrim, the Mac Allisters have travelled far through the generations - and one of their number is now on the brink of World Cup glory.

Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister is part of the Argentina squad preparing to face France in Sunday's World Cup final in Qatar.

The 23-year-old is understood to trace his ancestral roots to the small seaside village of Cushendall, where his surname is a popular one among the locals, albeit with some variation in the spelling.

The Brighton and Hove Albion player's appearance on the biggest stage in global football, including scoring the opening goal in a 2-0 group stage win over Poland, is a matter of great pride to those who live in an area where family tradition is strong.

A victory for Argentina in Sunday's showpiece decider would be celebrated all the more in Cushendall, and while much of the pre-match attention will focus on the legendary Lionel Messi, it's Alexis Mac Allister's name which is on the lips of the locals.

"Seemingly there is a connection with one of the players from Argentina. It's been the talk of the town over the last week or two weeks," said corner shop owner Dominic McAlister.

Alexis Mac Allister (left) congratulates Lionel Messi after he scored a penalty in Argentina's semi-final win over Croatia

"At the start everyone thought it was a bit of a wind-up but it's genuine now. A lot of boys have googled it and seemingly his family originally came from Cushendall.

"They left Cushendall in the late 1700s, early 1800s apparently - his great, great, great ancestors. It's been the whole talk, so we have been watching, wondering if we are connected in any way.

"You take the McAlisters out of Cushendall there wouldn't be many left, to be honest with you. There's a bit of a buzz. If he wins we'll have to go out and celebrate.

"[Getting him to Cushendall] could happen, stranger things have happened.

"We'll give it a go and we'll get in contact with him if that's the case. All I can say is 'Come on Argentina!'."

Fergus McAllister of the local GAA club said it was "unbelievable there's a Mac Allister playing for Argentina".

"I actually sent a message asking for two tickets for the World Cup final, as a member of the family I thought I'd at least be entitled to two, but I got no reply back," joked Fergus.

"The place is coming down with them and there are two or three different ways of spelling it. There's McAlister with one L, McAllister with two Ls, his is spelt Mac Allister, but that is the gaelic spelling of it.

"If I was to spell my name for a hurling match that is how I would be spelling it.

'He'd be more than welcome if Argentina win'

Alexis Mac Allister scored Argentina's first goal in a 2-0 win over Poland in Qatar

"As far as anybody has been checking up, his family came from Glenanne in Cushendall. We think his great, great grandfather was an Alec McAlister.

"There's an Alec McAlister who still lives in Glenanne at this time, but we don't think 100% he is a direct relation.

"We have stuff on Twitter of relatives of his receiving GAA awards in Buenos Aires. They obviously have a GAA connection and they could have been playing hurling here.

"He'd be more than welcome if Argentina win it on Sunday and who knows, if he got word of this here he might come back to see where his family originated from.

"We'll get him out here and we'll get him a puck of a ball and we'll show him what a real man's game is," he added - a reference to hurling.