Liverpool star Dominik Szoboszlai has revealed the inside story of his move from Leipzig to the Reds in the summer of 2023.
In an exclusive interview with the British newspaper "Liverpool Echo", Szoboszlai said: “It was really strange because my agent doesn’t tell me anything about new offers until the last minute when I have to make a decision. Things moved quickly and he told me Liverpool wanted to sign me, so I agreed straight away. Then Jürgen Klopp rang me, but unfortunately I didn’t answer his first call.”
The Hungarian star added: “Klopp was in his car at the time, so I called him back straight away and apologised for missing the call, and he accepted it. I remember I was on holiday with my friends and my agent told me to be available because Jürgen would be calling me in two or three hours, but I forgot and was in the sea at the time, so my friends came running towards me saying: ‘Your phone’s ringing, it’s Jürgen calling you! So I ran over and had to apologise to him before he told me he wanted to sign me, and I told him I was ready.”
Soboslay continued: “I knew the magnitude of Liverpool, but once you join, you really realise what it means to be a player here. It was incredible, and I remember having to choose a shirt number. I knew that the number 8 had become available after Naby Keita left, so it was an easy choice. When I walked into the training ground and saw the quality of the players there, I felt that my dream had come true.”
Soboslai’s 12 goals and eight assists in a difficult season, during which he was occasionally deployed as a right-back, are testament to his consistency, prompting Egyptian star Mohamed Salah to describe his teammate last February as one of the best players in the world.
Soboslai commented on this, saying: “It’s a wonderful feeling to have one of the greatest players in Liverpool’s history speak about you in this way. I’m close to him, but I know he didn’t say that because of our friendship, but because he truly means it, and I’m very grateful to him.”
Read also: Echoing Salah’s comments… Soboslai puts Liverpool’s management in a tight spot