Liverpool’s New Boy Dominik Szoboszlai Admits He Chose 8 Because of Gerrard

Dominik Szoboszlai has opted for the No. 8 shirt at Liverpool following his £60m move from RB Leipzig.

The 22-year-old was officially announced as a Reds player earlier today and the club have announced he’ll don the number made famous by former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.

Naby Keita was the last player to wear the No. 8 shirt before he left for Werder Bremen last month after his deal at L4 expired.

“I have a tattoo from Steven Gerrard,” the Hungary international said (as quoted by @TheAnfieldTalk on Twitter). “That was a reason why. When I was a child, to be honest I didn’t watch that much football, but when it was Champions League, I watched and he was one of the biggest.”

After joining from Leipzig in 2018 Keita never lived up to the huge expectations people had for him.

He showed glimpses of his potential and won every major trophy possible at the club but he missed a huge number of games through injury and didn’t showcase his talent enough.

Szoboszlai will be eager to ensure his Liverpool career is different, however, and after penning a five-year-deal on Merseyside his arrival, alongside the signing of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton, is hopefully the start of a long period of success for Klopp’s side.

Check @TheAnfieldTalk’s tweet out below:

Szoboszlai on choosing number 8:

“I have a tattoo from Steven Gerrard. That was a reason why. When I was a child, to be honest I didn’t watch that much football, but when it was Champions League, I watched and he was one of the biggest.” pic.twitter.com/On47yaD77y

— The Anfield Talk (@TheAnfieldTalk) July 2, 2023