Just two victories separate Liverpool from Premier League glory. This weekend could see them take a giant leap towards that title as they face a Leicester City side battling relegation. Ahead of Sunday's crucial clash, Showmax Premier League sat down with the electrifying Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai.
The Hungarian maestro gives us his insights on the upcoming game, reflects on a remarkable season, and reveals why this chapter has been the happiest of his life.
Also, stick around for some quick-fire questions with the dynamic Szoboszlai.
2025 is set to be a big year for you. What would you say will be the standout moment for you: the Premier League title or your upcoming wedding?
Of course, I think the most important part of football is family and your own life, so I would take the marriage as the most important and then the Premier League. It isn’t a big gap between the two, but I would say marriage first than the Premier League title.
Would you say this is the happiest time of your career ever?
I would say yes. I found the right people around me as well, not only in football, but also outside of football. Guys who have helped me with everything, who do my work outside of football. Then the people who work in football, not only on the pitch but off the pitch as well. And, well, on the pitch, we are two games away from winning the Premier League, so we are in a good way.
How much do you feel you’ve matured and changed as a person since arriving at Liverpool?
I have changed 180 degrees, probably in a good way. Let’s rather say in a different way, because before I joined, I wasn’t in a bad way. I am just in a different way now: everything is good in life and never been better.
Liverpool is a maximum of two wins away from winning the Premier League title. How does that feel? Or would you rather have it over and done with and wrapped up already?
It feels very good. I will take the two games. It’s good because we worked so hard the whole season to get to this point and everybody was involved somehow, from the players to the staff, to the city, to the fans and everyone else, so I think it’s going to be a huge moment for everyone. But we still have two games to go.
How important is it that you and the team keep focused against Leicester City and get the job done?
I think it’s very important to keep calm and focus solely on the game against Leicester City. We don’t even need to think about what Arsenal does. We just must focus on ourselves because it is in our own hands. We don’t have to worry about other teams’ results and whether they win, lose or draw. We need to take it game by game.
What did you make of the West Ham game? That was a crazy end to it.
Yes, it was crazy. We know that we can’t calm down and say we have done it already, because we haven’t. We need to be focused on every game for the entire 90 minutes. After we scored that own goal, I saw there was still ten minutes on the clock, and we believed that we could score another one. Two minutes before we scored the winner, we had another corner where we almost scored, so we had a good chance before that too. When we got the next corner, I was like “Come on now, please, we have to do it.”
Was it a good thing for Virgil van Dijk to score the winner and get that feel-good moment at Anfield, considering he could be on the verge of signing a new contract with Liverpool, and that moment could have just pushed him over the edge to sign his contract?
It’s not my job to answer these types of questions. I am happy that he is with us now and it’s his decision and the club’s decision what will happen next.
What has the season been like for you?
It’s been unbelievable with plenty of ups and downs. We were first in the Champions League group stage and then got knocked out by Paris. We got to the Carabao Cup final and were beaten against Newcastle. And now we are two games away from winning the Premier League, so it has had its up and downs. But overall, a good season – an intense one.
Quick fire questions with Dominik Szoboszlai:
- Best player you have ever played with? Erling Haaland
- Who was your idol growing up? Cristiano Ronaldo
- Who is the best defender you have ever played with? Virgil van Dijk
- Who’s is the toughest opponent you’ve faced in the Premier League? Joe Linton. He’s just a beast.
- Best striker you have ever watched? Didier Drogba
- One striker of the past you would have loved to have played with? Ferenc Puskás
- Who is the first player you want in your team in training? Alexis Mac Allister
- Who is the best player in the world right now? Mohamed Salah