How Szoboszlai became Liverpool's key man

On his forearm, Dominik Szoboszlai has a tattoo in Hungarian which reads 'Talent is a divine blessing, but without incredible will and humility, it is worth nothing'.

Dig a little deeper and you find the quote is attributed to Steven Gerrard.

When midfielder Szobozlai arrived at Liverpool from RB Leipzig in 2023 for £60m, there was a reason why he took the number eight shirt that had become synonymous with Gerrard at Anfield.

Earlier that summer, Alexis Mac Allister turned down the chance to take the number, but Szoboszlai craved that main-character energy.

The 25-year-old has been Liverpool's main character this season, scoring his 10th goal of the season last weekend, to go with seven assists.

When it was put to him that he was having a "Steven Gerrard season", he politely disagreed and insisted he was writing his own story.

Only forward Hugo Ekitike has more goal involvements and captain Virgil van Dijk has played more minutes than Szoboszlai for Liverpool this season - and close friend Mohamed Salah described him as "one of the best players in the world right now".

The Hungary international may insist on being his own man, but when it comes to taking responsibility as others struggle, and having his own goal of the season competition at the club, there are certainly similarities to the iconic and inspirational Gerrard.

Szoboszlai hasn't always played in his preferred number 10 position this season, but is scoring more frequently - his stunning free-kicks against Arsenal and Manchester City came in games he started at right-back. The step-up in both consistency and output has been clear.

In a tumultuous Liverpool campaign that has involved speculation about the future of Salah and defenders Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson, perhaps the most important negotiation will be with Szoboszlai, who has just over two years to run on the initial five-year deal signed in 2023.

Spanish outlet Marca reported comments last week from Hungary boss Marco Rossi in which he said Szoboszlai's one dream was to play for Real Madrid. The club's Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr also named the Hungary captain as one of his closest friends outside Real.

Encouragingly for Liverpool supporters, talks over a new contract have started, and Szoboszlai said earlier this month he loved the city and the club. His agent, Matyas Esterhazy, added this week on Hungarian TV the player was not looking for a move elsewhere.

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

Szoboszlai is regularly among the first to arrive at training and it's no surprise he's high up in terms of the club's running and physical stats. No Liverpool player has covered more distance this season.

In a recent video on Liverpool's channels, Milos Kerkez - who plays with him for club and country - said Szoboszlai would be a 400m runner if he wasn't a footballer.

"He could jog from Liverpool to Hungary and not get tired," joked left-back Kerkez.

Szoboszlai is a man determined in his own right, but Salah's high standards are understood to have a big influence on him. Away from football, the pair enjoy playing backgammon and often hang out together at each other's houses.

When he was described as "disrespectful" last month by Barnsley boss Conor Hourihane for attempting a backheel in his own box that led to a mistake and goal for the League One side, Szoboszlai spoke up to defend himself.

Privately, manager Arne Slot had a word too.

Szoboszlai's prime years are ahead of him. He was handed the national team captaincy at 22 and Liverpool view him as a future skipper, just like Gerrard.

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

Asked if Szoboszlai has the attributes to be a future leader, Slot said: "Yes, but he is still young. He has a lot of attributes already, especially when it comes to leading by example. There is still a step to make in terms of leadership, being vocal and a voice in the dressing room if I compare him to Virgil, which is completely normal.

"Virgil is 34 and has seen [James] Milner, [Jordan] Henderson and these players, so it's really good for Dominik that he sees Virgil. That would be the next step for him; to be as vocal and as loud as Virgil but that comes wih time.

"But for all the other things, he has a lot to become a very influential player for Liverpool and you could call that a leader."

During his first season at Liverpool which was Jurgen Klopp's last campaign, Szoboszlai struggled in a game at Luton, and his frustrations summed up when he booted a ball outside the stadium.

By the end of that campaign, he found himself out of the starting line-up. If anything, it was a realisation of what was needed for him to succeed in the Premier League.

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

This term, he has already played more minutes for Liverpool than he did in 2023-24 and only 302 minutes short of matching his tally for the previous campaign.

"Obviously he has been very good [this season]," added Van Dijk. "He's also a player who I think can still make the next step in terms of being a leader for this team. It starts by leading by example and that's something he has done so far this season.

"But also everything around it, there is still progress to be made and that's a good thing in my opinion, so hopefully he will be very important for the years to come at Liverpool."

When Klopp signed Szoboszlai - who had impressed at Red Bull Salzburg before joining RB Leipzig in 2021 - he said: "This is a signing for our present and also for our future."

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