Is it a case of when and not if Dominik Szoboszlai gets to the summit of European football?

szoboszlai
Source: RB Leipzig

Dominik Szoboszlai is undoubtedly a player who could put Hungarian football back on the map. Currently, the Székesfehérvár-born left-winger is plying his trade in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig and after a somewhat slow start in Germany, the player is beginning to find his range.

Indeed, Szoboszlai recently helped Leipzig claim their first major trophy after the club won the German Cup having beaten Freiburg on penalties following extra time. The Hungarian came off the bench to help the Roten Bullen prevail in the shootout and with that, has written his name into Leipzig’s folklore history courtesy of being part of a team that has delivered the first trophy since the club’s inception in 2009.

 

Needless to say, Szoboszlai has endeared himself to the Leipzig fans, and after signing a contract that runs until the summer of 2025, there will theoretically be many more years for the faithful to marvel at the Hungarian’s talents.

The world is the Hungarian’s oyster

The reality, however, is that the player could be on the move a lot sooner than that with the Premier League said to be his desired destination should a move present itself. Those who have followed Szoboszlai’s career will, at this point, dismiss any idea that the Hungarian would choose England’s top flight over another league in the world after turning Arsenal down in December 2020. Whilst this is true and the Gunners did make a move for the midfielder, there are strong contributing factors for this when you consider that Arsenal were not playing in the Champions League and that Szoboszlai felt that it would be too soon in his development to take on the robust and unforgiving nature of the most competitive league in the world. Put differently, should Szoboszlai have gone to the Barclays Premier League and failed, then it would have been a major step back in his career. Rather, the player wisely followed the counsel of his advisors by cutting his teeth at the Red Bull Arena instead.

A year and a half after that decision, the situation has admittedly changed. Arsenal, for instance, are, as of the 24th of May, at just 9/4 in the latest football betting to qualify for the Champions League next season following significant improvements at the club under Mikel Arteta’s management. Meanwhile, Szoboszlai now has the physique of a player who could hold his own in England’s top flight which was not the case in late 2020. As you can see, we’re at the stage where a move would make sense for both parties but the truth is that this is a player who could easily end up on the books of any of Europe’s best clubs as he is by far and away one of the most talented players on the continent. When all is said and done, however, this is not a piece that is centered on speculation but rather an article that wishes to address what is an inevitability; Szoboszlai is destined for the very top, whether it be Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool or AC Milan.

 

A generational talent

It doesn’t take long to come to this conclusion after seeing the player turn out for Leipzig. Indeed, Szoboszlai is blessed with a turn of pace that makes it almost impossible for a defender to stop him from a standing start. Additionally, even when a defender is facing the Hungarian and jockeying back to goal, the winger has a tendency to effortlessly drop his shoulder and float past his man which often draws a foul. You can, all of a sudden, see why Szoboszlai is a nightmare to contain in the box and also the reason he constantly wins so many penalties as defenders often push the panic button once he glides by.

Another feature of Szoboszlai’s game is that he has the ability to use both feet which dramatically increases his goal ratio as he can get a shot off in the box irrespective of which foot it may fall on. Once again, this leads to a heightened sense of panic whenever he is on the ball as defenders don’t have the luxury of showing him down the channel and then expecting the attack to fizzle out or have to go backward.

It goes without saying but should still be pointed out that these are rare traits for a footballer to have. Of course, you can see flashes of this type of genius in other players but it is the ability to perform consistently which sets Szoboszlai apart and makes him one of the shining lights in European football.

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