Dominik Szoboszlai: The New Leader in Liverpool's Midfield
Vladimir Smicer knows what it looks like when a midfielder owns the biggest stage. He lived it.
The former Czechia international, forever etched into Liverpool folklore for his role in the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ and a six-year spell that brought 183 appearances and 19 goals, has seen enough of Dominik Szoboszlai to recognise the signs. To him, the Hungarian isn’t just a gifted technician with a highlight reel of free-kicks. He sees something deeper. Something familiar.
A new leader in Liverpool’s engine room
Now 53 and watching from afar, Smicer has been struck by how quickly Szoboszlai has grown into an on-field reference point for Liverpool. At 25, the versatile midfielder has already been shuffled across the pitch – from advanced creator to deeper playmaker, even filling in at right-back when needed – yet his influence keeps gravitating towards the heart of the team.
Smicer sees echoes of another Czech great in that profile: Pavel Nedved.
Nedved, a Ballon d’Or winner in 2003 and for a spell regarded as the best player in the world, built his legend on a rare blend of stamina, aggression, and ruthless end product from midfield. He could run, he could fight, and he could decide games. Smicer believes Szoboszlai is walking a similar path.
“Dominik Szoboszlai and Pavel Nedved are similar in the physical side of the game. They both have that capacity for running, fighting and taking shots,” Smicer told GOAL, speaking in association with Grosvenor Sport. He pointed to Nedved’s relentless work rate and drew a straight line to Liverpool’s No. 8: a midfielder who can run, tackle, and score with either foot, and who brings a natural authority to the pitch.
The Nedved comparison
Nedved’s greatness rested on his ability to knit together multiple qualities without losing his edge. He was a goal threat from central areas, a creator for others, and a relentless worker off the ball. Szoboszlai is starting to tick those same boxes for a Liverpool side now reshaped under Andoni Iraola.
Smicer highlighted their shared leadership as a key trait. Virgil van Dijk remains the club’s defensive talisman, but Smicer argues that true contenders need lieutenants in every line, especially in midfield. In his eyes, Szoboszlai is becoming that figure.
“Pavel’s work rate was really high and Szobo is the same,” Smicer said. “What I think they have in common is their leadership qualities too. Virgil van Dijk is still a Liverpool player but you need those leaders in every line of your team, and ideally someone in midfield and I think Szobo is becoming that leader in midfield.”
Last season, Smicer felt Szoboszlai was already playing like the main man. The expectation now is simple: build on it. Refine it. Dominate games.
“He was already playing as the leader last year when he was our best player in the team. He just needs to continue working because in a game, he can do anything. He can play the passes, make the plays, score the goals, and that’s what Liverpool need.”
Thunderbolts and responsibility
The spectacular moments help. They always do.
Szoboszlai has carved out a reputation for long-range strikes and dead-ball brilliance, and he underlined that again with a vicious 30-yard effort that effectively ended Tottenham’s Carabao Cup hopes. The ball dipped, curled, and flew into the top corner – the kind of goal that shifts stadium noise into disbelief.
Those are Nedved-type moments: not just technically perfect, but psychologically crushing for opponents.
Yet Smicer’s praise goes beyond the fireworks. For him, the real value lies in how Szoboszlai couples that talent with graft. The running. The tackling. The willingness to take responsibility in tight games. That is where the comparison with his illustrious countryman truly lives.
The heartbeat Iraola needs
Under Spanish coach Andoni Iraola, Liverpool remain unbeaten in the 2026-27 campaign, but there’s a sense they are still revving below their top gear. Performances hint at a higher ceiling, one that will only be reached if key figures in midfield grab matches by the scruff of the neck.
Szoboszlai is central to that plan.
He has occasionally dropped to right-back to plug gaps, but the consensus around Anfield is clear: his gifts belong further forward, where he can dictate, create, and arrive in scoring positions. He wants to be the beating heart of Liverpool’s midfield. Smicer believes he has the tools to do exactly that.
Liverpool’s next test comes with a trip to Bournemouth before the first international break of the season. The unbeaten record is on the line, the performances still have room to grow, and Iraola’s evolving side needs its leaders to stand up.
If Szoboszlai keeps moving in the direction Smicer sees, the question won’t be whether he can follow in Nedved’s footsteps.
It will be how far he can go beyond them.
