Dominik Szoboszlai: The New Midfield Leader at Liverpool

Vladimir Smicer knows what it means to own a moment in Liverpool red. Istanbul, 2005. A goal, a legacy, a place in Anfield folklore.

Now 53, the former Czech Republic international watches this new Liverpool from a distance, but with a sharp eye. One player keeps drawing his gaze: Dominik Szoboszlai, the 25-year-old Hungarian who is steadily turning into the heartbeat of Andoni Iraola’s midfield.

A new leader in Liverpool’s engine room

Szoboszlai has already become a reference point in this side. He plays across the lines, drops deep when needed, surges forward when the game demands it. He has filled in at right-back at times, yet everyone around Anfield knows his real damage comes when he is allowed to drive through midfield and attack.

Smicer sees something familiar in that profile. Not from his own game, but from another giant of Czech football: Pavel Nedved.

Nedved, the Ballon d’Or winner in 2003, was once regarded as the best player on the planet. A midfielder who could do it all: run, press, create, score. His blend of intensity and elegance made him a constant threat from the middle of the park, a player who could decide games with either a lung-busting run or a flash of technique.

Smicer has long drawn the comparison between Nedved and Szoboszlai, and speaking to GOAL, in association with Grosvenor Sport, he doubled down on it. For him, the similarities start with the way they embrace the physical side of the game.

“Dominik Szoboszlai and Pavel Nedved are similar in the physical side of the game. They both have that capacity for running, fighting and taking shots,” Smicer said. It is not just about pretty touches. It is about intensity, about work, about refusing to stop.

Nedved echoes in Szoboszlai’s game

Nedved built his reputation on relentless work rate and end product. Smicer sees the same engine in Szoboszlai.

“Pavel’s work rate was really high and Szobo is the same. He can run, tackle and both players can score goals with their left foot, right foot and what I think they have in common is their leadership qualities too.”

That last word matters at Liverpool right now: leadership.

Virgil van Dijk still anchors the defence and wears the armband, but modern elite sides need voices and personalities scattered through every line. Someone at the back. Someone up top. Crucially, someone in midfield who can set the tempo and drag others with him.

For Smicer, Szoboszlai is growing into that role.

“Virgil van Dijk is still a Liverpool player but you need those leaders in every line of your team, and ideally someone in midfield and I think Szobo is becoming that leader in midfield.

“He was already playing as the leader last year when he was our best player in the team. He just needs to continue working because in a game, he can do anything. He can play the passes, make the plays, score the goals, and that’s what Liverpool need.”

Those are big words from a man who shared a dressing room with serial winners and Champions League heroes. But Szoboszlai’s performances back them up. His game carries that same Nedved-like mix: he scores, he presses, he tackles, he creates. He does not just decorate matches; he shapes them.

Thunderbolt against Spurs, warning to the league

If there is one area where Szoboszlai has already carved out his own highlight reel, it is from distance. The Hungarian has become known for spectacular strikes, especially from free-kicks and long range. The latest addition came in the Carabao Cup, and it was brutal.

Tottenham were already on the ropes when he stepped up and unleashed a 30-yard rocket that dipped and curled into the top corner, the final nail in their cup coffin. One swing of his boot, and the tie was done. It was the sort of goal Nedved used to specialise in: pure technique, pure conviction, no hesitation.

Moments like that do more than win games. They send messages. To opponents. To teammates. To the league.

Iraola’s unbeaten start and the road ahead

Liverpool are now under the command of Spanish coach Andoni Iraola, and while the style is still bedding in, the results have been steady. The Reds remain unbeaten in the 2026-27 season, yet there is a sense they have not fully caught fire.

That might be the most encouraging part for Liverpool supporters. This is a side still searching for its ceiling, still working through the details of a new era, and yet they are navigating the early months without defeat.

At the centre of that evolution, Szoboszlai is trying to become what Smicer once was in a very different Liverpool: a man for the big moments, a player who can tilt a season. Only this time, the expectation is that he does it week after week, not just on one miraculous night.

Next up is a trip to Bournemouth before the first international break. Another test of this new Liverpool, another chance for Szoboszlai to tighten his grip on the midfield, and another opportunity to show that the echoes of Nedved are not just nostalgic flattery but a sign of where his career is heading.