Dominik Szoboszlai Commits to Liverpool Amid Captaincy Speculation

Liverpool have moved decisively to secure one of their modern centrepieces, tying Dominik Szoboszlai to a new contract that runs through to 2031 and slams the door, for now, on talk of a move to Real Madrid.

At 25, the Hungarian playmaker is entering the stretch that should define his career. Liverpool are betting those peak years will unfold on Merseyside.

He has already given them plenty. Since arriving from RB Leipzig in 2023, Szoboszlai has racked up 154 appearances, deployed all across the midfield and attacking lines, and chipped in with 31 goals. Many of those have been the kind that live on in highlight reels – long-range drives, clean strikes, big moments.

From new signing to on-field leader

Szoboszlai has not just blended in. He has taken ownership.

Already captain of Hungary, he has grown into an on-field leader at Anfield, a player whose work-rate and standards drag others with him. Coaches and teammates lean on his versatility; the club’s hierarchy see him as central to both the present and the next era.

That presence has inevitably drawn comparisons. Some see shades of Pavel Nedved, the Ballon d’Or winner whose mix of graft, power and technique dominated European midfields. Former Liverpool midfielder Vladimir Smicer is among those who recognise something familiar there, linking a star of today to his fellow Czech great.

And at Liverpool, there is always one benchmark for midfield leadership: Steven Gerrard.

Chasing Gerrard’s shadow

Gerrard defined a generation at Anfield. Local, homegrown, emotionally welded to the city and its supporters, he was more than a captain; he was a symbol. Matching that connection is almost impossible for any outsider.

Smicer, speaking to GOAL in association with Grosvenor Sport, still believes Szoboszlai can follow that path in his own way.

Asked whether Liverpool’s current No.8 could eventually take the armband from Virgil van Dijk, whose contract runs out next summer, Smicer did not hesitate: “Will Dominik Szoboszlai succeed Virgil van Dijk to become the next captain of Liverpool? One day, yes. I can see it.”

He stressed the obvious differences. Gerrard spent his entire football life at Liverpool, from academy to captaincy, while Szoboszlai has only been at the club for three years. That lifetime bond between Gerrard, the city and the supporters is unique.

But the trajectory, Smicer insists, is right. Szoboszlai is carving out his own influence, his own bond with the Kop, and doing it in the shirt Gerrard made iconic.

“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,” Smicer said, adding that Gerrard enjoys watching Szoboszlai in that No.8 role. “If one day we say that Szobo is Stevie G’s successor, I don’t think he would be against that.”

The next captain – and the next era?

Someone will have to step forward when Van Dijk’s deal expires. The Dutch defender has been the defensive rock and captain of this Liverpool side, but succession planning at Anfield is already under way, both in the boardroom and on the pitch.

Szoboszlai’s new contract is part of that. It is a statement that he is not just a marquee signing or a highlights player, but a cornerstone.

He may never match Gerrard’s status in the hearts of Liverpool supporters. Very few ever will. Yet he is already on course to become one of the defining figures of the club’s modern era, a player around whom new memories and new trophy pushes can be built.

Liverpool have started the 2026-27 season unbeaten, competing with authority at home and in Europe. If that form turns into major silverware, and if Szoboszlai one day lifts a trophy as captain, the debate will not be about whether he stepped out of Gerrard’s shadow.

It will be about how quickly he created a legacy of his own.