Dominik Szoboszlai has recently been touted as future Liverpool captain, but his actions don’t indicate he understands the club well enough to take the role.
As supporters, we sometimes place too much importance on who wears the Liverpool armband; Jurgen Klopp would often just give it to the longest-serving player on the pitch when the club captain and vice-captain were absent.
Instead, he placed more of an emphasis on having a leadership group in the squad who would set standards and drive training sessions.
With Liverpool having such an illustrious list of former skippers, though, fans want their captain to have more than just experience under their belt.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, March 18, 2026: Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 2nd Leg match between Liverpool FC and Galatasaray A.?. at Anfield. Liverpool won 4-0 (4-1 on aggregate). (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
They want a leader who is professional, someone who embodies the club and is a role model to their teammates.
Szoboszlai may well have been exemplary in many of his performances this season, but his attitude is not yet befitting of a Liverpool captain.
With the No. 8 on his back and ball-striking ability similar to Steven Gerrard at times, there has been talk of him succeeding Van Dijk one day as Liverpool captain.
However, after gesturing angrily towards the away end after a 4-0 defeat at Man City, fans may be thinking again about him as an option.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s Etihad lack of self-awareness
Following the match, the Hungarian was seen shrugging and gesticulating towards the away supporters who had just watched their side lose a 15th match this season.
Federico Chiesa, a man who has spent much of his Liverpool career on the periphery, had the nous to intervene and usher Szoboszlai back to the changing rooms.
It was a moment that frustrated supporters. Szoboszlai’s behaviour almost insulted fans who had stayed to watch the full game, despite it essentially being over before an hour had been played.
The 25-year-old displayed a staggering lack of self-awareness towards fans who spend a huge portion of their wages on following the team every week.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - Saturday, April 4, 2026: Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai looks dejected after the FA Cup Quarter Final match between Manchester City FC and Liverpool FC at the City of Manchester Stadium. Manchester City won 4-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
It wasn’t even as though the fans had thrown the towel in from the start.
The 7,600-strong away support “were very loud,” as Arne Slot put it, in the game’s opening stages. However, once Liverpool went 3-0 down, the Reds left in droves.
It is not a common sight for Liverpool supporters to lose belief; a year ago it would have been unthinkable.
But this doubt hasn’t come about overnight; it has been the symptom of months watching the players’ own heads fall off after conceding a goal.
While Szoboszlai hasn’t necessarily been among those at fault for this season’s sharp drop in performance levels, if he is to be a real leader at Liverpool, he needs to better understand a fanbase known for their loyalty.
Vinicius Jr’s boots and Real Madrid “dream”
This wasn’t the first time Szoboszlai has misjudged the mood around the club, either.
Following Liverpool’s dismal Premier League defeat at Wolves in early March, the midfielder thought it a good move to post online a pair of boots gifted to him by Vinicius Jr, tagging the Real Madrid man with a fire emoji caption.
It is only a small thing, but public perception is a big part of the modern game and this was a tone-deaf decision.
The move was made worse by the fact that Szoboszlai has been consistently linked over the last year with a transfer to Madrid, albeit unreliably.
He has since declared that he has no intentions of leaving yet, telling the Liverpool Echo: “I love being here. My family is happy, I love the club, I love the fans, I love to play for this club and that is it.”
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 04: Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool gestures during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD4 match between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid C.F. at Anfield on November 04, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
However, as his national team boss Marco Rossi has been keen to tell the press, “Dominik has had only one dream: to play for Real Madrid.”
A transfer to Los Blancos may not be imminent, but we know all too well how Madrid play the long game with their signings.
Given his friendship with Trent Alexander-Arnold and the lure of becoming the first Hungarian to play for Madrid since national icon Ferenc Puskas, it would be no surprise to see him end up there if he continues on his current trajectory.
His future will only become more uncertain as we edge towards the expiration of his contract in 2028.
For a Liverpool captain, they should be committed to the club without eyes elsewhere. For Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool was the prize, not the stepping stone.
Leading by example – but still need to know the club
Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Premier League match at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland. Picture date: Wednesday February 11, 2026.
Of course, quality is an important aspect of the role too and that is where Szoboszlai has stood out this season.
His tireless work rate and ability to change the game with a long-range strike or free-kick have meant he has become a talismanic figure this season.
It was only a few days ago that former Reds skipper Robbie Fowler explained to This Is Anfield that leading on the pitch by example can be a form of leadership.
“Dominik Szoboszlai is a player who can be a captain. I’m not saying that he should be. He can be because of his performances.
“So performances can dictate who your captain is or what you want from your captain, because you want to go out there and you want the players to sort of learn off you.
“There are different ways to learn and that could be shouting and that could be showing in your performances.”
While Fowler references how players can lead without necessarily being the most vocal figure on the pitch, the role still requires an understanding of the club and its supporters, something the likes of Gerrard and Fowler certainly possessed.
Liverpudlians don’t like being told what to do
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, March 19, 2002: Liverpool's fans standing on the Spion Kop during the UEFA Champions League match against AS Roma at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Being a ‘performance-led’ leader also requires you to have strong leadership around you; Gerrard had Jamie Carragher and Fowler had Gary McAllister. Jordan Henderson, himself a commander with words, had ample teammates who grew to become senior pros.
You wouldn’t have seen Fowler or Gerrard disrespecting Liverpool’s travelling fans. You also wouldn’t see them constantly trying to gee up supporters at Anfield with arm gestures.
While it is good to see players like Szoboszlai and Ibrahima Konate showing some passion, Liverpudlians don’t particularly like being told what to do.
If the time is right, the Kop will get behind the team and don’t need to be told by the players.
It may only be a small thing, but the Anfield crowd have always been orchestrated by the team’s energy and commitment, not dictated to by words and waving arms.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, November 27, 2024: Liverpool substitutes Dominik Szoboszlai (L) and Trent Alexander-Arnold on the bench before the UEFA Champions League game between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid CF at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
When Trent Alexander-Arnold was booed by some while still in a red shirt, Szoboszlai was among those to express his discontent.
While the Hungarian wasn’t the only one unhappy to see his teammate booed, compare his reaction to Andy Robertson‘s and Van Dijk’s, both of whom remained more neutral.
The Scotland skipper said: “We can’t tell people how to act, but I can tell you how I feel about it. I’m extremely proud of him for what he’s done for this club.
“I love him as a friend, I love him as a player and he’ll be missed. He’ll be missed for me as one of my best friends in the game, so that’s how I feel about it and I’m not going to tell anyone else how to feel about it.”
Liverpool captains need the right traits
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, October 29, 2008: Liverpool's Steven Gerrard MBE celebrates scoring his 101th goal for the club, to help his side to a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth, with team-mates Lucas Levia, Yossi Benayoun and Dirk Kuyt, during the Premiership match at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Again, this may be deemed insignificant on its own. All the same, add it to the list of actions and it builds a picture of a talented player, but not one who is quite in tune enough with Liverpool to be club captain.
Though he isn’t from Liverpool originally, Van Dijk has grown to understand LFC and its supporters. There are multiple unpublicised examples of him going above and beyond to connect with the community.
In the press, small things like continuing the post-match interviews in the mixed zone, a job previously undertaken by Henderson, were a sign Van Dijk wanted the responsibility of the role.
Szoboszlai is 25 years old and still has time to develop, but at the moment, he isn’t showing the traits needed for a captain to connect to the Kop.