It was in the Hungarian town of Szekesfehervar where Zsolt Szoboszlai set on study course a chain of events that would see his son go on to captain his place at just 22, make a title for himself in the Austrian and German Bundesliga then swiftly turn into a supporter favourite at Liverpool.
Sporting the iconic No 8 shirt at the time occupied by Steven Gerrard, Dominik Szoboszlai is rapidly successful acclaim at Anfield for his tenacious performances. Outside the house of Merseyside, several are chatting him up as just one of the signings of the summer months in the Leading League.
It is an uncomplicated case to make. James Maddison and a number of others have flourished in Ange Postecoglou’s new and thrilling Tottenham, whilst previous RB Leipzig team-mate Josko Gvardiol appears great at Manchester Metropolis. But Szoboszlai is arguably greater than the lot.
Staying on the theme of Leipzig, there are appealing comparisons when you take note these who have arrive to England from the Saxony club, not least previous Liverpool No 8 Naby Keita, who has to go down as a flop provided the hype all over the £52million signing.
Keita is now again in Germany with base-50 % club Werder Bremen. Furthermore, Timo Werner came to the Premier League with large fanfare but unsuccessful to really show his top quality at Chelsea. Other folks, like Jean-Kevin Augustin at Leeds, have also arrived here but unsuccessful to conquer.
At just 22, Dominik Szoboszlai donned the captain’s armband for the Hungarian nationwide workforce
The midfielder’s precision and prowess each on and off the ball have swiftly received him fans
Szoboszlai has made very good on the guarantee shown at RB Leipzig, which would not have the ideal observe file for players transitioning to the Premier League
When finding out YouTube compilations of Szoboszlai prior to his Anfield arrival, it was evident that he appreciates the place the purpose is and has an eye for a defence-cutting go. People videos are generally deceiving, but not in this case.
Nonetheless aside from his on-the-ball prowess, the Hungarian is successful acclaim for what he does out of possession. He has run 57.7km this year, 7km more than Liverpool’s next finest water-provider in Andy Robertson, who has coated 49.5km.
Not just is he busting a gut to make defensive recoveries or arrive late into the penalty region at the other conclusion, Szoboszlai is masking floor with exceptional tempo. Because the 2020-21 time, Opta facts says only Kyle Walker and Chiedozie Ogbene of Luton have strike a better prime dash pace.
To underline his all-round midfielder job, Szoboszlai ranks next at Liverpool for each successful passes (263, at the rear of only Robertson’s 304) and periods received possession (33, driving only Robertson’s 38). Only Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold have created extra probabilities.
Through an job interview up in the clouds overlooking Singapore’s plush skyline in July, Mail Activity asked Szoboszlai to title his idol, expecting him to namecheck a famous midfielder. ‘My dad was the major impact,’ came the response.
Zsolt, a former footballer in Hungary’s reduced leagues, was the theme that the chat continually returned to. ‘Many people make the mistake of dreaming,’ Zsolt told a Hungarian newspaper previous week. ‘We did not aspiration but generally paid interest to the undertaking and progressed action by phase.’
The father-son duo had been pretty aggressive, with Dominik actively playing soccer from age a few. One particular drill associated the young player getting to weave in and out of plastic bottles in their living home to boost his agility. If one bottle fell more than, he was produced to start off yet again.
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The midfielder named a shock inspiration at the rear of his remarkable profession in his father, Zsolt
Just a thirty day period and a 50 % into the new time period, Szoboszlai already ranks third-greatest for likelihood
Szoboszlai has a phrase he attributes to Steven Gerrard tattooed on his forearm as a reminder of the benefit of challenging do the job
‘I stayed dribbling right up until it did not fall about, I stayed seeking till it was excellent,’ he informed Mail Activity back again in July. ‘Dad manufactured me enjoy football with golf balls in my fingers. It was to make confident I wouldn’t foul people today, to grab the players’ shirts, to target only on my feet.’
Szoboszlai has a tattoo on his forearm of a estimate attributed to Liverpool legend Gerrard, which reads, ‘God presents you talent, but if you really don’t function challenging and sacrifice a large amount, it is nothing.’ Irrespective of whether or not the Englishman reported it is not sure, but the believed was there.
Yet another wacky coaching technique Zsolt experienced was to power his son to play in boots much too little for him, due to a Hungarian principle – which comes from the times of the wonderful Ferenc Puskas – that if your feet are smaller, you have better ball handle. Szoboszlai wears measurement 7 sneakers.
The principle appears a little bit strange but, soon after viewing Szoboszlai flourish in Liverpool’s new-search midfield this period, maybe people Hungarians ended up on to something. Noting the insane midfield trolley dash this summer, Szoboszlai at just £60million could be the bargain of the summer time.