From the moment Dominik Szoboszlai decided to don the number eight jersey for Liverpool, the comparisons were always going to come. The number, despite having been worn by Naby Keïta in the last few years, is synonymous at Anfield with only one man in Steven Gerrard.
Wearing the number eight therefore comes with a lot of expectations, but Szoboszlai has so far not shied away from those pressures. If anything he has lived up to the billing and had endeared himself to supporters all the more for his efforts.
Last week, Liverpool.com managed to sit down with his international Marco Rossi, who gave Szoboszlai his debut for the Hungarian national team. Perhaps what was the most interesting thing about Szoboszlai is the way Rossi highlighted some of his best traits, and how those traits eerily resembled Liverpool’s previous ‘captain fantastic’.
“I hope he can take the early pages of Steven Gerrard’s career, of course with different characteristics,” Rossi said. “But if he can gain the hearts of the Liverpool fans in the same way as Gerrard, he will do a fantastic job.”
The Hungarian international manager also went on to highlight two things in particular about Szoboszlai which were also valuable traits of Gerrard as well. So far, Liverpool has only seen a glimpse, but it hints at what might be to come.
One of them was undoubtedly Gerrard’s shooting. The Liverpool academy graduate could score from free-kicks and long-range belters from anyone on the pitch. Szoboszlai also has that in his locker.
“His best skill, for sure, is his shot,” Rossi said. “I’ve been in football for more than half a century, and I have to say that I don’t remember more than five players in the last 50 years that have a shot like him or who are better than him.”
It is not clear who the five players Rossi referred to — perhaps one of them might have been Gerrard — but it’s an interesting statement to make from his international manager. Rossi has seen Szoboszlai take plenty of shots not just on the pitch but in training as well.
In this sense, the Hungarian could definitely follow in Gerrard’s footsteps and score long-range efforts of his own in years to come at Anfield.
“I think in England he will need to start shooting more, because I don’t think that anybody can complain if Dominik shoots with his right or left foot,” Rossi added. “When he will decide to shoot, nobody can complain.”
On top of that Szoboszlai doesn’t just score long-range goals, he is also a player who can be decisive and carry his team on his back. Gerrard used to do that at Liverpool for years, scoring vital goals to win games. Like that famous Olympiacos strike, or the 2006 FA Cup final.
Szoboszlai already has similar moments under his belt despite only being 22 years old. For example, he scored a last-minute winner against Erling Haaland’s Norway at U17 level to take his country to a European Championship. Then he did the same at senior level against Iceland in a crunch play-off.
“He is a player because of his tactical and technical abilities who can make decisive moments happen,” Rossi explained. “For example, against Iceland [when Szoboszlai scored a last-minute winning goal to qualify Hungary to Euro 2020], to be honest, he didn’t play well.
“But we decided to keep him on the pitch just because a player like him could find a solution in every moment and this fortunately for us happened in that game.”
Again this sounds like textbook Gerrard, stepping up for his team when his teammates need him the most. It’s early days, but based on the signs, Liverpool may finally have a worthy player to wear Gerrard’s old number.
