Dominik Szoboszlai told to ‘shut up’ as Arda Guler aims dig at Liverpool star
Dominik Szoboszlai will return to Liverpool with his tail between his legs after Hungary had an international break to forget.
In 2023, Liverpool signed a 22-year-old Szoboszlai who had already been made captain of his country the year prior, and as his nation’s leading player in terms of ability and stature, Hungary look to him.
Szoboszlai has since captained the Magyars at Euro 2024 – where they failed to reach past the group stage – and was named Hungarian Footballer of the Year in 2022, the same year he became skipper.
Arne Slot has regularly utilised Szoboszlai in a similarly talismanic role this season, with the now 24-year-old making 40 appearances and 34 starts for the Premier League champions-in-waiting.
However, that pales in comparison to the role he plays for Hungary, a role which was made redundant in their two-legged UEFA Nations League play-off against Turkey in this month’s international break.
Arda Guler blasts ‘joke’ Szoboszlai after Hungary humbling
Szoboszlai’s Hungary arguably went into their relegation play-off with the upper hand against Turkey, being a League A side ranked 11th in Europe compared to their 23rd-ranked League B opponents.
Turkey, however, tipped the scales massively back into their favour with a 3-1 first-leg victory in Istanbul, and after producing an even better result in the second leg at Puskas Arena, Szoboszlai was lambasted.
| Hungary | Statistic | Turkey |
| 0 | Goals | 3 |
| 1.73 | xG | 1.50 |
| 2 / 10 | Shots on Target | 4 / 9 |
| 55% | Possession | 45% |
| 2 | Corners | 3 |
The visitors produced another dominant result to win 3-0 and seal a 6-1 aggregate victory in Budapest, and their second goalscorer Arda Guler had words for Szoboszlai on Instagram after its conclusion.
Posting on his story (24 March), Guler said: “This guy [Szoboszlai] is a joke. Isn’t six goals enough to shut you up?”
Liverpool need immediate Dominik Szoboszlai response
Szoboszlai responding to one social media dig with another in turn certainly wouldn’t be the behaviour of a leading international captain – let alone one whose side have just been thumped twice in three days.
Therefore, Szoboszlai needs to ensure he does his talking on the pitch with a ball at his feet, providing the play he has throughout this season to ensure Liverpool finish the job and lift the Premier League title.
With eight goal contributions in his 22 league starts for the Reds this term, Szoboszlai arguably does have another level to hit if he’s to rubber-stamp his place in the side, and claiming the league title in Liverpool colours can only help in June; when Hungary look to right the many wrongs of March.