Liverpool FC signs Szoboszlai as third most expensive player in club's history

Although the press had been treating it as a fait accompli for days, Liverpool FC only made the signing of the Hungarian Dominik Szoboszlai official over the weekend. The transfer fee has not been confirmed, but according to reports, the Hungarian national team captain was sold to the English club for 70 million euros (nearly 26 billion forints). Liverpool finished fifth in the last season of the English league, which means that in the next season they can compete in the Europa League, with Szoboszlai as their latest reinforcement. It's been decades since a Hungarian footballer has played in such a prominent team.

The official Liverpool gift shop is already selling Szoboszlai jerseys with the number 8 on them. This number was previously worn for 11 years by Steven Gerrard, a true legend of the team and the English national team. Interestingly enough, years ago, Dominik Szoboszlai had a Gerrard quote tattooed on his left arm.

"Some things in life are simply meant to be. Dominik was 15 when he found the Steven Gerrard quote that he had tattooed on his left arm. He had it put there, so that he would see it every time he bent his arm. The quote reads,

'Talent is a divine blessing, but without incredible will and humility, it is worth nothing' He chose the tattoo to give him strength in case he hit a low point.

Gerrard was at his peak when Dominik was a kindergartner. The number eight jersey is the symbol of the club and now my son will get to wear it. It's hard to speak at a time like this without being emotional, especially as I have always been his critic.

Recently, when the contracts were being drawn up, they asked him what was written on his left forearm, and their eyes widened at his answer. I think the right way to put it would be to say they were floored."

- Zsolt Szoboszlai, Dominik Szoboszlai's father told Telex after the transfer.

Dominik showed me this tattoo back in 2017, after the U17's winning bomb of a goal against Russia, sitting in the starting line-up at the MTK pitch, and even then he said that these were not just words to him. Gerrard played for the English national team 114-times, he played for Liverpool from 1998-2015, which made him the player with the most games played for the club, and was even captain from 2003.

"Dominik has truly lived this every day, he believes in this quote. We don't possess any secret wisdom, I don't want to be seen as smarter than anyone. My goal for him was never to make my dreams come true. He never had to be reminded that talent alone is not enough. If someone had told us ten years ago that my kid was going to sign for Liverpool and that they were going to pay this kind of money for him, I would have signed immediately, I would have asked for the paper immediately. But humility and diligence must not be compromised, because talent is also a responsibility," the player's father, who was also his coach, continued.

Szoboszlai is only 22 years old, but he has already played for the Hungarian national team 32 times and has been captain of the national team since the retirement of Ádám Szalai. During his adult career, he has never played for a Hungarian club, having been signed by Salzburg at the age of 18 and then transferred to the Bundesliga, with RB Leipzig. This season, the Hungarian midfielder was a prominent player in the German league, scoring 10 goals and 13 assists in 46 games. In his three years with the German team, he won the German Cup twice, the team finishing fourth in 2022 and third this season.

At Liverpool, he will play for one of the top teams in one of the world's top leagues under one of the best coaches in the world, Jürgen Klopp.

According to the Hungarian national team’s coach Marco Rossi, who spoke to mlsz.hu, the transfer is also a significant step for the national team:

“First of all, I am very happy that Dominik has signed for Liverpool, because it means that he will work with top players and a top coach in one of the world's strongest leagues. Dominik is still very young, only 22 years old, so there is a huge potential for him physically, tactically and technically. And working with Liverpool and playing in the Premier League will certainly bring that out of him, there is no doubt that it will help his development. Even if he might not always play 90 minutes at the outset. It will be a few more years before Dominik is at the top of his game, but his continued development will be a huge help to the national team in the meantime, and he will become more and more important to us, as he grows into a better and more professional player every day.”

One cannot stress it enough: When his contract was officially announced, Szoboszlai became the third most expensive player in Liverpool's history.

Dominik Szoboszlai is the first Hungarian player in the Premier League since Zoltán Gera. During Gera's time, others weren't able to take advantage of his influence (his technical ability, his emblematic volley, his emotion) and English clubs didn't pay attention to Hungarian players. Now Szoboszlai (he is the eleventh Hungarian to play in the Premier League) might open the door for others.

Have no illusions, though: Szoboszlai is not a product of the Hungarian system of football academies. He has come this far thanks to his family's commitment. And after two or three good seasons, there may be a real chance for other talented Hungarian youngsters to be noticed.