If Dominik Szoboszlai was always destined to become a footballer, Liverpool were in many ways an inevitable destination.

And the story of how he acquired the elaborate tattoo on his left arm reveals much about the driving force that ultimately led him towards a £60million move to

Anfield from RB Leipzig last month.

 

“This is the Steven Gerrard one,” says the midfielder, pointing to a message inspired by the Reds legend. “It’s in Hungarian but hard to translate, but it’s something

like ‘God gives you talent but if you don’t work and sacrifice a lot, it will mean nothing’.

 

“I liked the message of the tattoo, but I got it because of a bet with my dad. I always wanted to have a tattoo because he had some, and wanted one like his. He said

‘okay, find a sentence you want to put on it’ and I said ‘I have one already, now let’s talk about the bet!’.

 

“It was a running test in Salzburg. Some guy held the record in the academy, from the first team to the U16s. And my dad said ‘well, if you want to get into the first

team then you have to break this record, and if you break it then you can have the tattoo’. So I went there and broke the record, and then got the tattoo.”

 

Szoboszlai’s father Zsolt, a former footballer who featured in the lower leagues in Austria, has been helping mould his son into a footballer almost since the day he

was born in the Hungarian city of Szekesfehervar almost 23 years ago. Indeed, it was with the progress of the new Liverpool man in mind that his dad co-founded

the Fonix Gold academy in the city in 2007, where the player remained until 16 before moving to Red Bull Salzburg and subsequently Leipzig.

“He has been the biggest influence on my life,” says Szoboszlai of his father. “We did everything together. When you are a child, probably 90% grow up with the

mum almost always being around. With me, it was my dad. I’d see my mum in the morning when she’d make breakfast and then in the evening when I came home

from training and then went to sleep.

 

“I’ve always wanted to become a footballer. I started kicking the ball around when I first started to walk. We had a lot of balls at home as my father was playing

football at the time. The first time I went on to the pitch I was three, and it was only me and him.

 

“I was at the academy until I was 14. Then I went to Salzburg to train and came back (to the academy) to play as I wasn’t 16 and you can’t play in other countries

until that age. Then at 16 I went to Salzburg full-time, lived at their academy, played for their U18 team, played for the second team and then from 2017 I was in the

first team. Then I changed to Leipzig.

 

“There are of course times when it’s really hard, when you look at your friends going to parties or enjoying life and I have to wake up in the morning and go to the

training ground. Sometimes I’d be thinking ‘why am I doing this? I want to enjoy myself as well’. But my dad would say ‘no, you can enjoy it afterwards’. And he was

right.”

It’s not just with tattoos that Szoboszlai and his father are willing to have a wager. “Oh, we are betting all the time with each other!” he laughs. “I like cars and he

said to me ‘you can buy whatever car you want, but first you have to achieve something’. So when I signed for Leipzig, I could get a car. And when I signed for

Liverpool, I can get a car. And between that, no other cars. I’ve decided which car I’m getting, but I’m keeping that a secret for now!”

 

The parental coaching went beyond the norm, with Szoboszlai dribbling around plastic water bottles at the age of three. “It was inside the house, we had no garden!”

he says. “If the water was still in the bottles, it was easier to dribble past them. But if there wasn’t any in, it was a lot harder! My dad would pour the water out almost

every single time, and if one of the bottles fell I just had to keep on doing it until none of them fell. I had to stay there until it was perfect, and then I could go!”

Then there were the golf balls. “When you’re in training, and someone goes past you and you want to grab his shirt, my dad didn’t want that because of giving away

fouls and making sure I grew up without those habits,” he says. “So he’d put golf balls in every player’s hands, and if you have that then you can’t grab anyone. He

did some crazy things – I don’t want to say all of them!”

 

Szoboszlai was relaxed and engaging company while talking to a select group of journalists on the 17th floor of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Singapore during Liverpool’s

recent tour. While his pre-season was hampered by a minor ankle problem, the 22-year-old is gradually adapting to his new surrounds with his set-piece deliveries

prompting two goals in Monday’s 3-1 win against Bundesliga side SV Darmstadt.

 

And he had no qualms taking on the number eight jersey worn by the man who inspired his tattoo. “Ronaldo was my idol, but I would watch games of Liverpool and

other teams,” says the Hungary national team captain. “Gerrard was one of the biggest players when I was growing up, and even now to wear the number eight is a

pleasure and makes me feel proud. But I want to do it my own way. Of course, big players have worn this number, but that’s why I want to give my best for the club,

the team and the fans.”

Liverpool’s swift move for Szoboszlai last month was an example of the recruitment team at its most decisive. “Everything happened in three days,” he says. “My

agent called me and said ‘they are really interested, so let’s talk about it’. The next day we spoke about it, and by the third day we were already flying to Liverpool.

“I didn’t have to think much about it. I phoned some people who are important in my life, asked them about it and talked to them, and also spoke to some players

who I’ve played with and have more experience than me. But I didn’t have to think much, no. I had a clear idea of what I wanted to do. Liverpool explained their

plans, so I said ‘let’s do it’.”

If Szoboszlai’s initial impression of his new boss Jurgen Klopp will sound familiar – “He is an emotional guy, he puts everything he has into things,” he says –

Liverpool supporters will surely be encouraged by his comments on the Reds failing to finish in the top four last season.

“Of course, everybody wants to play in the Champions League, it’s the highest level of football with the best teams, but I didn’t think about the Champions League w

hen I heard Liverpool wanted to sign me,” he insists. “When Liverpool want to sign you, you have to work for it. I wasn’t thinking about the Champions League at all,

but all I want to do now is make sure we are back there where we normally should be.”

Szoboszlai will at least have one friendly face nearby as he acclimatises. He has moved – along with his girlfriend and dog Milo – into a house near former Salzburg

team-mate Erling Haaland, who will now be in opposition at Manchester City.

“We are still close, we talk when either of us has time,” he says. “We message each other or call each other. Before I joined Liverpool, he just said ‘get ready!’ but he

knows I’m ready. He told me it is a crazy league and I’m going to love it.

“I’m not surprised by how well he has done at Man City. I knew what he could do, and he’s an unbelievable player and how much work he puts in. I knew what kind

of things he does – probably only his close family know that. I know all about the rivalry between Liverpool and the Manchester clubs, but I’m ready. That’s why I’ve

come to Liverpool. I want to see how it feels when I’m playing (against Haaland).”

All that is left now, then, is for Szoboszlai to make his competitive Liverpool debut, primed to feature in the Premier League opener at Chelsea on Sunday before a

potential home bow the following weekend against Bournemouth.

“My memories of Anfield weren’t good, we lost 4-3!” he laughs, recalling Salzburg’s defeat there in 2019. “We came back from 3-0 down to 3-3, so it was quite a good

game. But of course, it was not easy.

“I felt the energy from the fans, the players had quality. When I was there at Anfield on the pitch, I was looking around thinking ‘Where am I?!?’. It was a really good

atmosphere, so to now play for them will be even more crazy.”

And, you’d imagine, Szoboszlai’s father won’t be too far away – golf balls and plastic bottles at the ready.