WHEN he faced Manchester City last February, Dominik Szoboszlai ended the match flat out and face down on the Etihad turf.
Not through despair but through exhaustion.
Once again, he had run himself into the ground for 90 lung-busting minutes, in pursuit of the 2-0 victory that put Arne Slot’s men 11 points clear of the chasing pack on their way to the title.
One goal — stroked past Ederson with nonchalant ease — one assist, teeing up Mo Salah for the opener.
He had also set up another tap-in for Curtis Jones, which was ruled out by the Stockley Park microscope.
A year on, and while Liverpool are playing for a top-five place rather than the crown when Pep Guardiola and his side visit Merseyside today, the Hungarian’s status at Anfield has never been more assured.
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Even without the armband, he has become a leader of Slot’s team, showing why Szoboszlai, 25, has been captain of Hungary since 2022.
That aerobic power, which was first identified when he almost broke the treadmill at Salzburg as a teenager, has made him a relentless running machine, powered by Duracell’s limitless batteries.
And with Virgil van Dijk perhaps considering a future away from Merseyside this summer, and vice-skipper Andy Robertson seemingly certain to be leaving, Szoboszlai’s standing as Liverpool’s captain-in-waiting, ready to assume that mantle for the best part of the next decade, is stronger than ever.
In a difficult and challenging campaign, as Slot has struggled to integrate his slate of summer arrivals, Szoboszlai has been Liverpool’s true constant. The ultimate performer.
The only Premier League match he has missed was the squeak past Wolves two days after Christmas, the result of his fifth booking of the season in the win at Tottenham seven days earlier.
And until he went off with a quarter of an hour to go in the 6-0 thrashing of Qarabag that confirmed the Reds’ third-placed finish, he had played every minute of their eight-match Champions League campaign as well.
What has been even more impressive has been his ability to become Slot’s most reliable campaigner.
Whether playing out of position on the right side of defence, pushing further forward on that flank or operating in the central role which is his strongest, Szoboszlai has been imperious.
His set-piece delivery has become increasingly critical, too. As has his self-confidence.
Even last season, Szoboszlai might have deferred when Salah wanted to take the free-kick just outside the Marseille box last month after Liverpool had been on the back foot for most of the first 45 minutes.
Not now. This time it is Szoboszlai who has the belief to pull rank, making it clear in no uncertain terms that he was going to take on the responsibility, then spotting the lack of a ‘draft excluder’ behind the Marseille wall and casually rolling the ball under the jumping white shirts to find the bottom corner.
It may not have been his most spectacular strike of the season — the free-kick he exploded past David Raya to hand Arsenal their first defeat of the campaign back in the autumn is nailed on to win that accolade.
But it was yet more evidence of his growing authority and presence, one recognised and revered by the Anfield fans.
The Premier League rewards athleticism and power and underneath his headband — or sometimes ponytail — Szoboszlai is the prototype midfield animal, his energy levels approaching insane.
That was noted by Liverpool performance coach Ruben Peeters, when he said: “His ability to run and the intensity with which he plays football from the first to the last minute are unprecedented.”
It is that quality, as much as his intelligence and perceptivity on the ball — and the ability to play a key pass or score vital goals — which has endeared him to the Kop.
Szoboszlai could have his pick of Europe’s super-clubs, in Spain, Germany, Italy or France, let alone the rest of the Prem.
But every indication is that his only real interest is over a new contract at Liverpool, extending his stay and demonstrating his commitment for the long term.
In other words, captaincy material, wanting to be the next in that long line of trophy- lifting Anfield heroes.
He has learnt from three years alongside one of the best in Van Dijk, too, watching how the Dutchman galvanises and demands, how he leads in thought, word and deed.
His personal devastation as Hungary’s World Cup dreams were shattered by Troy Parrott’s last-gasp goal for Ireland in the Puskas Arena in Budapest in November was clear and utter, barely able to speak as he carried the pain of a nation on his shoulders.
But the way he has channelled that frustration to be even more important to his club was another signal of his mentality.
Liverpool may have stumbled and struggled amid a poor run of form and the fallout of Salah’s public dispute with Slot but, through it all, Szoboszlai’s performances were beacons out of the darkness, his late spot-kick winner in the San Siro against Inter a huge moment.
Szoboszlai knows he can return in triumph to the scene of his worst moment of the year when the stadium named after his homeland’s greatest player hosts the Champions League final at the end of May.
This afternoon, though, in a match where nobody can afford to shirk the physical battle, it is a racing certainty that he will be at the heart of the skirmish. Legs pumping, hair flowing, not stopping.
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