Dominik Szoboszlai has explained the influence that Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard had on his choice to take the no.8 jersey upon signing for the club.
The Reds completed the signing of the midfielder over the weekend before his official announcement on Sunday. He joins from RB Leizpig on a five-year deal for the full release clause price of £60million.
On top of that, a number of high-profile exits from Anfield upon the expiry of their contracts left a selection of famous squad numbers up for grabs. Alexis Mac Allister snapped up the no.10, vacated by Sadio Mane one year ago, whilst Luis Diaz coverted his no.23 to no.7 last week.
With no.8 still vacant, Szoboszlai wasted no time claiming his new jersey, and there was none more perfect than the eight due to his likeness to the Reds' former captain, both having played as a right midfielder in their younger years and the new signing likely to follow in his predecessor's footsteps by converting to central midfield.
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The Hungary international also revealed a special link Gerrard, when asked by the club why he opted to take no.8.
As rumoured on social media, Szoboszlai confirmed that he has a tattoo inspired by the Liverpool legend on his arm.
"Not a special reason but of course it’s a great number, a lot of great players had this number," he said. "And also I have a tattoo from Steven Gerrard, what he said – I don’t even remember when but before. It was also a reason why.
"When I was a child, to be honest I didn’t watch that much football but of course when it was Champions League or a big game, I was watching Liverpool, the big teams and also the big players – and he was one of the biggest."
The tattoo in question is scrawled in his native Hungarian across his arm, with the phrase: "Talent is a blessing from God, but without incredible will and humility, it is worthless."
Szoboszlai also spoke highly of his new club's history as a factor that led him to sign on the dotted line.
"[Liverpool is a] really historic club, really good players, good coach, everything is good. For me it was perfect to make the next step in a club like this. The fans, the stadium, everything is really good."
