Just before boarding a flight to Liverpool for the next significant step in his already outstanding career advancement, Dominik Szoboszlai’s phone called.
His close buddy and former teammate Erling Haaland texted him two words: “Get ready.”
Two top-tier players joined the Premier League within a year of one another, from one “monster” to another, for sums that were exorbitant even by today’s standards.
Actually, the significance of Haaland’s statement was minimal. Szoboszlai had a tattoo of a Steven Gerrard phrase on his arm, which gave the impression that he was destined to play for Liverpool.
The 22-year-old Hungarian’s decision to don Steven Gerrard’s No. 8 jersey for the team he joined at the end of July for £60 million does not come as a surprise to those who are familiar with him. The midfielder is utterly confident in his own skills.
The 16-year-old beat Norway in a shootout to advance Hungary’s U17 team to the European Championships, and Marco Rossi, the head coach of the senior national team, granted him his debut the following season.
Rossi chose the midfielder as captain for the same reason that Jurgen Klopp shelled out £60 million to get him to Anfield. “Because of his personality and his natural leadership,” the Italian coach stated.
People were most impressed by “his unbelievable personality, his natural leadership at such a young age, and of course all this together with his talent and commitment” right away.Everyone on the national team is under the impression that Dominik will develop into one of Liverpool’s most valuable players.
Like Haaland, Szoboszlai was able to leave RB Leipzig on friendly terms thanks to a release clause in his contract.
While Chelsea paid nearly twice as much on Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, Manchester United only spent around half as much on the aged Casemiro.
However, in only two games since joining Liverpool, he has already shown the incredible promise that has every coach who has worked with him raving about his talent. Some have even dubbed him the best midfield signing of the crazy Premier League summer transfer window.
The last Hungarian to play for Liverpool was goalkeeper Adam Bogdan, Szoboszlai’s national team partner. Bogdan has a good understanding of the club and is optimistic about his chances of success there.
“For him, the sky is the limit. He has been Hungary’s best talent in the recent years, if not ever. The weight of that reputation doesn’t bother him, and he won’t be playing for Liverpool.
He probably has a similar outlook with Erling Haaland, one of his closest football friends. He rarely, if ever, feels anxious or afraid. Under severe stress, he seems to do better.