Dominik Szoboszlai has opened up on his desire to prove critics wrong and his willingness to play in a number of positions for Liverpool, including right-back, as contract talks continue with the club
Ian Doyle Chief Liverpool FC Correspondent and James Findlater Content Editor
11:34, 12 Jul 2026Updated 11:42, 12 Jul 2026
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 24: Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool looks on as the team warms up prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool and Brentford at Anfield on May 24, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Dominik Szoboszlai has made his feelings clear on playing at right-back(Image: Getty Images)
Dominik Szoboszlai acknowledges he possesses "too much ego" and is fuelled by the ambition to silence his doubters - while suggesting he's prepared to deputize as Liverpool's right-back again next season.
Szoboszlai emerged as the Reds' standout performer during a challenging previous campaign in which Champions League qualification proved insufficient to save head coach Arne Slot from dismissal.
The Hungary international was deployed as a makeshift right-back on several occasions as Liverpool battled through an injury crisis in that area. And while insisting his primary role is as a box-to-box midfielder, Szoboszlai maintains flexibility regarding his position in the Reds' line-up and has explained how detractors serve to inspire him, reports the Liverpool Echo.
"I could easily say 'I don't want to play full-back; either you put me in midfield, or I'm not playing'," he said. "But I don't do that because I want to help my team however I can. It's a team sport.
"Ultimately, I want to win, no matter where I'm asked to play. Some might say you're perhaps too nice... I'm a team player. I'm not too nice, believe me!
"But I have too much ego; the more people try to tell me I won't succeed, the more I take a perverse pleasure in proving them wrong. That's why I have so much love for the people sitting on their sofas talking s--t about me."
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 24: Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool looks on during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Brentford at Anfield on May 24, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images)
Dominik Szoboszlai has outlined his ambitions at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
Szoboszlai continued: "Honestly, moving from midfield to full-back really isn't difficult. In midfield, you need a panoramic view because the play - and the opponents - can come from anywhere, whereas at full-back, it's pretty binary: if there's no one in front of me, I'm free; if there's an opponent, I'm not. Simple.
"But my preferred position is box-to-box midfielder, because I have every option: playing short or long, running with the ball, making runs off the ball, shooting from distance, or dropping in closer."
Discussions are currently underway between Liverpool and Szoboszlai regarding an enhanced long-term contract, with the 25-year-old - who has two years left on his existing deal - outlining his ambitions under new head coach Andoni Iraola.
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola
Andoni Iraola has been appointed as Liverpool's new head coach(Image: Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
"As a child, I always dreamed of winning the Champions League - probably even more than winning the Premier League," he said. "But now that I've had a taste of it, I absolutely want to win the Premier League again because 2025 was just incredible.
"I'm convinced we can compete (in the Champions League), and I'm hopeful that with the new manager Andoni Iraola we'll move in the right direction. And then, of course, I dream of playing in the World Cup one day."
During an extensive interview with L'Equipe, Szoboszlai was questioned about which represented his authentic self when his flamboyant off-pitch personality was contrasted with a more understated style on the field. "I'd say both sides make up Dominik Szoboszlai," he said.
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"It's just that I know when to switch modes. On the pitch, my mindset is all about streamlined efficiency - focusing on my job and the tasks I need to carry out - while off the pitch, I like to add a little extra flair."
When informed that he tended to avoid showboating, Szoboszlai responded: "Those 'joga bonito' type skills are for show; in my opinion, they have nothing to do with football. It's nice when people do them, but I never lose sight of the fact that football is too competitive not to do everything possible to achieve a professional player's true goal: winning the match.
"That's the only way I think - you have to win. We play in such highly competitive leagues that there's no room for skills designed merely to entertain the crowd.
Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, second leg match between Liverpool and Galatasaray S.K. at Anfield.
Dominik Szoboszlai was Liverpool's standout performer last season(Image: Getty)
"I know that last year, when we won the Premier League with Liverpool - the toughest league on the planet - our midfield ran the show, and without that, we wouldn't have been champions. But ultimately, who was the superstar of that title win? Mo Salah. Because we all did our utmost to put him in the best possible position to make the difference.
"I believe you always have to look at things through one question: what is best for the team? For instance, you could define a star player by their ability to make the difference all on their own. In that case, I'm a star too. But rest assured, I don't put myself in the same category as Mbappe, Haaland, Lamine Yamal, or Vinicius right now, because I haven't reached that level yet."
Szoboszlai also opened up on the effect of the passing of Diogo Jota 12 months ago on the Liverpool dressing room, revealing that the squad had never collectively addressed the impact of the tragedy together.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Diogo Jota in Liverpool training
Szoboszlai has opened up on how Liverpool's players reacted to Diogo Jota's death(Image: Getty Images)
"It was incredibly hard for everyone because Diogo Jota was one of those players who always gave everything for the team," he said.
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"At the start of the season, we used that trauma as motivation, but it was a heavy burden to bear. Personally, I gave it my all throughout the season because I told myself that was what he would have wanted from each of us.
"But it was really difficult, because I think everyone was asking themselves 'why did something like this happen to someone like him?'. That sense of bewilderment - struggling to wrap our heads around what had happened - was hard to process.
"The thing is, we never actually talked about it among ourselves. Everyone kept their feelings about the tragedy to themselves, and I don't know if that was a good thing because none of us was able to share what we were going through with the rest of the group. I don't know what we should have done; we'll never know."