FeatureDominik Szoboszlai: I want to achieve something here that is forever

Dominik Szoboszlai makes his objectives at Anfield crystal clear in the second edition of Carlsberg’s Inked series, exploring Liverpool players’ tattoos and the meanings behind them.

Twice a German cup winner during his time with former club RB Leipzig, the Hungary captain is considering adding an imprint of that trophy to his tattoo collection.

And Szoboszlai hopes to leave such a mark across his future career with the Reds that he is one day faced with a similarly pleasant decision regarding having silverware etched on his skin.

“A trophy, this is the thing,” he tells Liverpoolfc.com when asked about the prospect of getting a tattoo that represents his new link to the club.

“I was thinking [for] a long time that I should get the German cup trophy from when I played in Leipzig, because I won it twice and I was there when they won it [for the] first time in their history. I’m still thinking about it but even if I [win] more, probably maybe I’m going to do it. We will see.

“I need more time. I’m here for six months, I want to be here long enough and achieve a lot of things until I do something that is forever.”

The No.8 continues: “It’s just the beginning hopefully. I want to be here as long as I can and do my best and win as many trophies as I can.

“As we see now in this moment, we are in the middle of the season so now it’s getting even more started. We are at the top of the table and we want to be there at the end of the league.”

Szoboszlai has a been a mainstay of Jürgen Klopp’s starting XI for much of his debut season with the club, making 26 appearances and scoring four goals so far.

While his spell on Merseyside is still in its relative infancy, the power of the connection with supporters is already being keenly felt.

“It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world,” says the midfielder. “The people, how they love the club is amazing, they always show us support.

“Of course, sometimes it doesn’t work that well [on the pitch] but we are always working on it. We don’t do it bad because we want to, it’s just this day. We have also a couple of days where we cannot do our 100 per cent and even if you do 100 per cent it will maybe not be enough.

“But this is the thing: [they are] still there, enjoying, and [I’m] happy to have fans like that.”

Szoboszlai’s tattoos are mostly located on his left arm and touch on familiar themes of family and football.

The collection began when he was aged around 15 – with the first entry the outcome of a sporting bet against his father, Zsolt.

“It was a deal with my dad. It was a bet – something with football and I won it and I could make [a tattoo]. So it was not a sneaky one,” he explains.

“I was sure about it. And for the other ones [since] as well. I never said I wish I never did it. It’s there, it’s with me [for] some reason, also because I liked it or it got me somehow to this point. Hopefully even more comes.”

His body ink includes a quote inspired by Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard, and motivational phrases such as ‘never give up’ and ‘great things take time’.

They sit alongside the birth dates of his parents and a clock design that represents the birthday of his younger sister.

“I just liked them since I was a kid,” says Szoboszlai of tattoos. “My dad also has some, my mum as well. My mum has small ones: like my name and my sister’s name. My dad has a couple. So I liked them from the beginning.

“The family is always there, it doesn’t matter how it is going, it is always going to be there. With me it is like this. Probably you have more people who you trust or who you believe are going to be there in the bad times and even in the good ones, but three people are for sure.

“My sister is seven, so she is still very, very young but probably if I will have some problems, she will be there as well, even if she can’t help. And my mum and dad. And of course you have other family members or who you look for that you could trust 100 per cent.

“But only who I trust truly 100 per cent is my mum and dad.”

Szoboszlai was speaking as part of Carlsberg’s Inked series, celebrating the recent 10-year renewal of its long-term partnership with Liverpool FC.