Dominik Szoboszlai: The midfielder’s rise and why he became a captain at Liverpool

Those who see him on a daily basis at Liverpool describe him as highly competitive and with a clear desire to excel.

Szoboszlai is regularly among the first to arrive at training, and it is no surprise that he ranks highly in terms of the club’s running and physical statistics. No Liverpool player has traveled further this season.

In a recent video on Liverpool TV, Milos Kerkez – who plays with him for club and country – said Szoboszlai would be a 400m runner if he were not a footballer.

Left-back Kerkez joked: “He can run from Liverpool to Hungary without getting tired.”

Szoboszlai is a tough man in his own right, but it is understood that Salah’s high standards have a major influence on him. Outside of football, the duo enjoys playing backgammon and often hang out at each other’s houses.

When Barnsley coach Conor Hourihane branded him “disrespectful” last month for attempting to backheel the ball into his own penalty area which resulted in a foul and a goal for the League One side, Szoboszlai spoke up to defend himself.

Privately, manager Arne Slott also had a say.

Szoboszlai’s early years are ahead of him. He was handed the national team captaincy at the age of 22, and Liverpool see him as a future captain, just like Gerrard.

With vice-captain Robertson expected to depart this summer and Van Dijk’s contract expiring in 2027, the possibility is certainly there.

Asked if Szoboszlai had the qualities that would make him a future leader, Slott said: “Yes, but he’s still young. He has a lot of qualities already, especially when it comes to leading by example. There’s still a step to be taken in terms of leadership, and for him to be heard and a voice in the dressing room if you compare him to Virgil, which is quite normal.”

“Virgil is 34 years old and has testified [James] milner, [Jordan] Henderson and those players, so it’s really good to see Dominic Virgil. This will be the next step for him. Being loud and loud like Virgil but that comes with time.

“But for all other things, he has a lot to offer to be a very influential player for Liverpool, and you can describe that as a leader.”

During his first season at Liverpool, which was Jurgen Klopp’s last, Szoboszlai struggled in a match at Luton, and his frustrations were summed up when he kicked a ball wide.

By the end of that campaign, he found himself out of the starting lineup. If anything, it is the realization of what is required of him to succeed in the Premier League.

Szoboszlai returned later that summer with a point to prove and has been an ever-present under Slot since 2025, the year he became a husband, father and Premier League winner.

This season, he has already played more minutes for Liverpool than he did in 2023-24 and just 302 minutes less than matching his tally from the previous season.

“Obviously he was very good [this season]“He’s also a player who I think can still take the next step in terms of being a captain of this team,” Van Dijk added. It starts with leading by example and that’s what he’s done so far this season.

He added: “But also in everything related to it, there is still progress to be made, and that is a good thing in my opinion, so I hope it will be very important in the coming years at Liverpool.”

When Klopp signed Szoboszlai – who starred at Red Bull Salzburg before joining RB Leipzig in 2021 – he said: “This is a signing for our present as well as our future.”

Liverpool will be keen to make sure this remains the case.