Dominik Szoboszlai Commits to Liverpool Future and Captaincy Aspirations
Dominik Szoboszlai has nailed his colours to the Liverpool mast, signing a new deal that keeps him at Anfield until 2031 and slamming the door on the transfer rumours that had begun to swirl around him, including talk of Real Madrid.
At 25, these should be his prime years. Liverpool intend to spend them with him.
From Leipzig arrival to Anfield mainstay
Three seasons have already flown by since Szoboszlai arrived from RB Leipzig in 2023. In that time he has become one of the most adaptable weapons in Liverpool’s armoury.
Across 154 appearances, he has delivered 31 goals, many of them the kind that stay replaying in supporters’ minds – long-range drives, whipped efforts from the edge of the box, strikes that change the mood inside a stadium in an instant.
Coaches have pushed his versatility to the limit. He has operated across midfield and further forward, filling gaps, driving the press, and dragging Liverpool up the pitch when games have threatened to drift away from them.
Hungary’s captain, Liverpool’s leader-in-waiting
For Hungary, Szoboszlai already wears the armband. That responsibility has bled into his club performances. He now sits at the heart of Liverpool’s short and long-term plans, not just as a creator and goalscorer, but as a standard-setter.
Team-mates follow his intensity. Staff lean on his reliability. The crowd responds to his edge.
That profile has inevitably drawn comparisons. Some have mentioned Ballon d’Or winner Pavel Nedved when they watch Szoboszlai glide across midfield, mixing graft with guile. Former Liverpool midfielder Vladimir Smicer sees something of his compatriot in the Hungarian’s game – the engine, the aggression, the ability to decide big matches.
Smicer, a Champions League winner in 2005 and a man who shared a dressing room with Steven Gerrard, believes Szoboszlai’s influence is only just beginning.
The No.8 chasing a legend’s shadow
The No.8 shirt at Liverpool is not just a number. It carries the weight of Gerrard’s legacy, the local boy who came through the academy and came to embody the club.
Szoboszlai stepped into that jersey knowing exactly what it meant. Smicer can see him growing into the responsibility and, potentially, into something even greater.
Speaking to GOAL in association with Grosvenor Sport, Smicer was asked whether Szoboszlai could eventually succeed Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool captain when the Dutch defender’s contract runs down next summer.
His answer was clear: “Will Dominik Szoboszlai succeed Virgil van Dijk to become the next captain of Liverpool? One day, yes. I can see it.
“It’s difficult to compare him as a player and as a captain to Steven Gerrard because Stevie G was grounded in Liverpool. He grew up in Liverpool. There was always that connection between the club, the city, the fans and Stevie G. It was something very special. Even the players in the Liverpool dressing room felt that and knew how it worked.
“Szobo has been at Liverpool for three years and Stevie G spent his whole life at Liverpool but he’s on the right path to follow in Stevie’s footsteps, and I think Stevie loves to watch Szobo play for Liverpool. If one day we say that Szobo is Stevie G’s successor, I don’t think he would be against that.”
That is the scale of the expectations now circling around Liverpool’s current No.8.
Chasing trophies, building a legacy
Matching Gerrard’s bond with the fanbase may be impossible for any outsider. Gerrard was Liverpool – city, club, culture. Szoboszlai is carving a different route.
What he can do is win. And keep winning.
Captaincy would harden his status in club history, but silverware will define it. With Liverpool unbeaten at the start of the 2026-27 season and momentum building both at home and in Europe, the stage is there for him.
A long-term contract signed. The No.8 on his back. The captaincy potentially on the horizon.
The question now is simple: how far can Dominik Szoboszlai push Liverpool in this new era?
