At the unveiling of his wax figure on Tuesday, Dominik Szoboszlai spoke at Madame Tussauds in Budapest about how he still finds it difficult to accept that the Hungarian national soccer team missed out on qualifying for the World Cup playoffs on Sunday after conceding a goal in the 96th minute.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s wax figure was unveiled at the Madame Tussauds Budapest exhibition. The captain of the Hungarian national team and star of Liverpool FC now stands alongside greats such as László Papp, Katinka Hosszú, and world-class soccer players Ferenc Puskás, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi in the sports hall.
Dominik Szoboszlai met twice in recent months with the experts at Madame Tussauds, who measured everything from the distance between his eyes to his height and hair color. The team of artists, modelers, and stylists worked for months to make the wax figure as lifelike as possible. As Player portal reported, it took six weeks just to complete the tattoos.
During the handover, the captain of the national team explained that he still finds it difficult to accept what happened. “Unfortunately, you have to live with it and move on. There must be a reason why this keeps happening to us. Even in these difficult times, we try to see the positive in the fact that we had a chance until the very end. We believed that we could make it to the playoff round,” said the Hungarian star of Liverpool about the decisive World Cup qualifying match, in which Hungary lost 2-3 to Ireland.
The wax figure of national soccer player Dominik Szoboszlai (back) at its unveiling at Madame Tussauds Budapest. In front is the wax figure of Ferenc Puskás, captain of the Golden Team. Photo: MTI/Kocsis Zoltán
The 25-year-old midfielder explained during the panel discussion that people have to decide for themselves whether they like the statue. He personally likes it because it is so lifelike that you might think there are two people.
It is an honor for anyone, so I did not have to think twice about agreeing to it,”
said Dominik Szoboszlai, explaining that they had taken numerous measurements of him, he had been to photo shoots in Manchester and London, and everything could be done on that basis. “We chose everything to reflect how I am now. The facial hair, my tattoos, everything I have that makes me who I am can be seen on the figure. It was strange to see two versions of myself, as if I were standing next to myself, which is true, except that I am alive and he is not,” said Dominik Szoboszlai.
Panel discussion between sports reporter and commentator István Hajdú B. (left) and national soccer player Dominik Szoboszlai (right) at the unveiling of the 25-year-old midfielder’s wax figure at Madame Tussauds Budapest. Photo: MTI/Kocsis Zoltán
In the museum, you can see the captain of the national team with the number 10 on his back and his hand on his heart. As he revealed, he had two options to choose from, but for him the decision was clear, because everyone knows how much the national team means to him, which will not change even after the end of his professional career.
The national jersey means more to me than anything else. Wearing the colors of the national team is a privilege, but also a great responsibility, and I am aware of that,”
explained Dominik Szoboszlai.
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Football Star Dominik Szoboszlai to Be Immortalized in Wax at Madame Tussauds Budapest
Football Star Dominik Szoboszlai to Be Immortalized in Wax at Madame Tussauds Budapest
His wax figure will stand alongside legendary icons of the sport, such as Ferenc Puskás, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo.Continue reading
Via MTI; player.hu; Featured image: MTI/Kocsis Zoltán