Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson has told Gazzetta dello Sport he considered staying at Roma and cried when it was time to leave for the Premier League.
Alisson earned his move to Liverpool on the back of two seasons at Roma in which he finished second in Serie A in his first campaign and reached the Champions League semifinals in his second.
"Leaving Rome was difficult," he said. "I cried a lot, together with my wife. It's only right that I'm honest about it: I made a professional decision; a step forward in my career and for Roma, who earned a huge sum.
"I decided with my head to move to Liverpool, but my heart was full of tears. I spent two special years in Rome. My daughter was born there and I have a lot of friends there outside of football.
"Many times I'd spend the night walking the city streets: the Trevi fountain, in the dark, is so beautiful it moves you, but the Colosseum is my favourite place -- you can breathe history there.
"[Staying in Rome] went through my mind a lot because I was so happy in Rome, but when a player decides where to play, it's a much bigger discussion.
"I've got big ambitions and so do Liverpool, and now I'm playing in the biggest league in the world. [Serie A is] not far behind, it's just different and less intense."
Alisson also said that he has been an admirer of Jurgen Klopp since his days at Borussia Dortmund and praised the Liverpool boss' management style.
Klopp convinced Alisson about a move to Liverpool and the club's ambitions in multiple FaceTime calls after a £65 million deal was struck with Roma back in July.
Klopp, who took charge of Liverpool in 2015 after seven years at Dortmund, also defended the Brazil No. 1 when he made an error that led directly to a goal at Leicester City last month in just his third appearance for the club.
"When the two clubs reached an agreement, Klopp called me a few times on FaceTime and he explained to me his project and what we would do together," Alisson said.
"I've admired him for a while, since his Dortmund days. I like being coached by him because he doesn't say much, but he always knows what to say and how to say it.
"He's an intelligent man with character. [After Leicester] he came into the dressing room and started joking. He dealt with it in the best way possible, since I already knew I'd embarrassed myself.
"Then he told me not to lose faith and to carry on playing that way."