Szoboszlai Signs New Deal at Liverpool and Eyes Captaincy

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, a statement of intent that silences the early murmurings of a move to Real Madrid and ties his peak years to Merseyside.

At 25, he is no longer the exciting project from RB Leipzig. He is the heartbeat of Liverpool’s new era.

From Leipzig talent to Anfield mainstay

Szoboszlai arrived from RB Leipzig in 2023. Three seasons on, the numbers tell part of the story: 154 appearances, 31 goals, many of them the kind that rip games open and live long in the memory.

The rest is about influence.

Liverpool have used him everywhere across midfield and the forward line, leaning heavily on his versatility and relentlessness. He presses, he drives, he shoots from distance, he creates. He has become a reference point in Jürgen Klopp’s rebuilt side and a central figure in the club’s long-term planning.

He already wears the armband for Hungary. At Liverpool, he has grown into an on-field organiser, demanding intensity, setting standards and dragging others with him. The leadership is no longer emerging. It is established.

Echoes of Nedved, shadow of Gerrard

With that rise have come big comparisons. Some see shades of Ballon d’Or winner Pavel Nedved in his running power, his work rate, his shooting. Former Liverpool midfielder Vladimir Smicer, a Champions League winner in 2005 and a fellow Czech, is among those who recognise the resemblance between the Juventus great and Liverpool’s No.8.

But at Anfield, all roads eventually lead back to one man: Steven Gerrard.

Gerrard defined an era as captain, a local boy who carried the club, the city and the supporters on his shoulders. Szoboszlai is different. He is not from Merseyside, he did not grow up on the Kop’s doorstep, and he has only been at the club for three years. Yet his trajectory is pulling him towards that same leadership spotlight.

Speaking to GOAL on behalf of Grosvenor Sport, Smicer did not hesitate when asked if Szoboszlai could one day succeed Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool captain.

“One day, yes. I can see it,” he said.

Smicer stressed that nobody can replicate Gerrard’s unique bond with Liverpool, but he believes Szoboszlai is walking the right path, and that Gerrard himself enjoys watching the Hungarian drive this team on. If the day comes when Szoboszlai is labelled Gerrard’s successor, Smicer does not expect the club legend to object.

Life after Van Dijk – and a No.8 ready to step up

The timing of Szoboszlai’s new contract is no coincidence. Van Dijk’s current deal runs out next summer, and someone will have to inherit the captaincy when the Dutch defender eventually moves on.

Inside the club, Szoboszlai is already part of that conversation. He has the armband for his country, he has the respect of the dressing room, and he wears the No.8 shirt that Gerrard made iconic. The symbolism is hard to ignore.

Liverpool are unbeaten at the start of the 2026-27 season, building momentum in both domestic and European competition with Szoboszlai at the core of it all. This is a team in transition that does not feel like one, and he is a major reason why.

Chasing greatness, not just Gerrard’s ghost

Szoboszlai will never be Gerrard in the eyes of the fanbase. Nobody will. The local hero’s connection to Anfield is untouchable.

What the Hungarian can do is carve out his own place in the club’s history. The captaincy, if it comes, would be more than a title. It would be the final confirmation that Liverpool see him as the figurehead of their next great side.

And if he lifts major trophies in red with the armband strapped around his bicep, the question will not be whether he matched Gerrard’s aura. It will be how far he has taken Liverpool into a new age of dominance.