Szoboszlai Commits to Liverpool Future and Captaincy Aspirations
Dominik Szoboszlai has nailed his colours to the Liverpool mast. The Hungary captain has signed a new deal that keeps him at Anfield until 2031, shutting down growing transfer noise that had even linked him with Real Madrid.
At 25, he is entering his prime. Liverpool intend those years to be spent on Merseyside.
From Leipzig arrival to Anfield mainstay
Szoboszlai landed in England from RB Leipzig in 2023. Three seasons on, his impact is written across Liverpool’s recent history.
He has already racked up 154 appearances in all competitions, scoring 31 goals – many of them the kind that drag fans to their feet before the ball even hits the net. His versatility has been a manager’s dream: wide, central, deeper, advanced, he has done it all and kept his standards high.
For Hungary, he wears the armband. At Liverpool, he has grown into the role of on-field organiser, a player others look to when the tempo needs lifting or the press needs tightening. He is no longer just a talented signing. He is part of the club’s long-term spine.
Echoes of Nedved, shadows of Gerrard
The comparisons have followed him. Some see shades of Ballon d’Or winner Pavel Nedved in the way he drives from midfield, marries graft with guile, and strikes a ball with venom. Former Liverpool midfielder Vladimir Smicer, a Champions League winner in 2005 and a compatriot of Nedved, is among those who recognise those similarities.
But at Anfield, there is another name that inevitably comes up. Steven Gerrard.
Gerrard defined an era. Local, relentless, and emotionally welded to the club and the city, he set a standard that still hangs over anyone who pulls on Liverpool’s No.8 shirt. Szoboszlai now wears that number and is being asked if he can follow a legend.
Smicer, speaking to GOAL in association with Grosvenor Sport, can see the trajectory.
Asked whether Szoboszlai could eventually succeed Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool captain, he replied: “Will Dominik Szoboszlai succeed Virgil van Dijk to become the next captain of Liverpool? One day, yes. I can see it.”
Smicer was quick to draw an important line, though. Gerrard’s bond with Liverpool is unique.
“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.”
The captaincy question
The timing of Szoboszlai’s new contract is not accidental. Van Dijk’s current deal runs out next summer, and Liverpool know a decision is coming on who eventually wears the armband.
Smicer believes Szoboszlai has the profile to take that step. Already a national-team captain, already a leader by example, he is positioning himself as more than a creative midfielder. He is becoming a reference point in the dressing room.
Liverpool’s hierarchy will not rush that call, but the idea of their No.8 one day walking out at Anfield as captain no longer feels fanciful. It feels like a plan.
Chasing greatness, not just popularity
Szoboszlai will never replicate Gerrard’s local hero status. That connection is unrepeatable. But he does not need to be Gerrard to become a modern great.
What he can do is build his own legacy: long-term contract signed, leadership role growing, and trophies in his sights. Liverpool have started the 2026-27 season unbeaten, pushing hard at home and in Europe, and the stage is set for him to turn influence into silverware.
If the next Liverpool captain is also the man who lifts major trophies in this new era, Szoboszlai’s name will not just be mentioned alongside club legends. It will be carved into the conversation about what comes after them.
