Liverpool’s player of the season, 2025-26: Dominik Szoboszlai

Last season, Liverpool were overflowing with candidates for player of the season — it is a reflection of how much they have regressed in 2025-26 that there is arguably only one contender.

While those around him have floundered, Dominik Szoboszlai has so often been the player to stand up and be counted.

When Mohamed Salah, who has been one of the world’s top players for the bulk of the last decade and does not use his words lightly, stands next to you during an interview refers to you as “one of the best players in the world right now”, then you must be doing something right.

It was mid-February when Szoboszlai was standing next to Salah on the pitch at Anfield after one of Liverpool’s most complete performances of the season, the 3-0 dismantling of Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup. The praise, from one of his good friends away from the pitch, came after the 25-year-old had scored his fifth goal in eight matches, including spectacular free kicks against Marseille, AFC Bournemouth and Manchester City, each one better than the last.

Last season, manager Arne Slot laid down a challenge of wanting to see more goal contributions from his No 10, who at the time was Szoboszlai. A return of eight goals and nine assists from 49 appearances was respectable, but he has gone to another level this season, scoring 13 goals and providing 12 assists in 53 matches

Key to that has been his brilliance from set pieces. Szoboszlai arrived at Anfield with a reputation of dead-ball quality, but he had been behind Trent Alexander-Arnold in the pecking order.

His 30-yard strike against Arsenal in a 1-0 win over a team that, back in August, looked like being title rivals, was the club’s goal of the season.

Sit back and enjoy every angle of THAT Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/XadhY8wuB9

— Premier League (@premierleague) August 31, 2025

Those goals are an example of how, throughout the campaign, he has tried to put the team on his back and drag them to results — and he has had to do it while playing a multitude of roles.

Last season, Szoboszlai benefited from positional consistency, excelling in the No 10 role as the leader of Liverpool’s high press while helping facilitate Salah’s brilliant campaign. Whenever he got the opportunity, Slot spoke glowingly about the midfielder and praised his influence and the tone that he set.

The arrival of Florian Wirtz last summer, a creative attacking midfielder, hinted at the breaking up of the midfield three that had been so crucial in Liverpool’s title win. The odd man out for many was Szoboszlai because of where Wirtz was expected to play.

Instead, Szoboszlai has become indispensable and undroppable. “We rely on him so much this season,” Slot said after that 3-0 victory over Brighton.

He began the season playing as part of the double pivot with Wirtz operating in the No 10 due to Ryan Gravenberch’s suspension. Then came the injury crisis at right-back and Szoboszlai started there in the second league game against Newcastle.

There has been very little continuity in his role since due to the injuries and form of others as well as tactical shifts made by Slot. For example, after the run of nine defeats in 12 matches, the Dutchman opted for stability and replaced Salah with Szoboszlai on the right of midfield as he could offer more defensively.

Taking him out of central areas is something Slot has not wanted to do — it has weakened the midfield, leaving it lacking physicality and intensity.

Each season has seen Szoboszlai’s body continue to adjust and get used to the pace and rhythm of the schedule and physical demands of English football. He is spending more time in the gym and has felt fitter and stronger this season.

Only Virgil van Dijk (4940) has played more minutes than Szoboszlai (4743) for Liverpool in all competitions this season, and across the top five leagues in Europe he ranks third for minutes played of all outfield players, underlining his importance.

“I think a great example for talking about development, in talking about becoming better after one, two, three seasons of playing Premier League football is Dominik Szoboszlai,” Slot told reporters ahead of the final game of the campaign. “His first season was good, his second season was very good and this season, although the team played far from excellent, I think it’s fair to say that he had an excellent season.”

Despite moving around the pitch, his influence has increased as shown by the graphic below.

In the Premier League this season, only Bruno Fernandes (132) has created more chances than Szoboszlai (78) from open play and set pieces combined. The 37 he has created from set pieces are also only bettered by Fernandes (38). Szoboszlai also ranks joint-third for passes and crosses played into the box (258), level with Declan Rice and behind  behind Fernandes (326) and Pedro Porro (270).

There has been a leadership hole that has been growing as the season has gone on, and supporters have pointed towards Szoboszlai, who became captain of his country as a 22-year-old, as somebody who can fill it.

“I think it always starts, if you want to be a leader, by leading by example,” Slot told reporters in January. “That’s what he’s done since I’m here.

“He’s always the one that without the ball is incredible in the way he can press — the intensity, he keeps running backwards, forwards. I think he improved this season on the ball compared to last season, where last season I always liked him, but this season he plays with even more confidence and is more often involved in chances and goals.”

Slot has, more recently, pointed out that he still needs to make the key step of being more vocal in the dressing room, which is what current captain Van Dijk excels at.

There have been occasions, though, where he has not quite grasped what supporters expect of a leader and his attitude or application have let him down.

Whether it be his ill-advised backheel in front of his own goal against Barnsley, poorly timed social media posts, tapping the ‘Premier League Champions’ badge as he walked off following defeat at Old Trafford, or his gesturing towards what remained of the Liverpool end after the 4-0 humbling to Manchester City in the FA Cup in April, they are lessons he must learn if he is to be in the running for the club captaincy when Van Dijk departs.

With Liverpool heading into another summer of change, which could include the head coach, Szoboszlai remains a constant. He is sure to play a key role if Liverpool want to improve next season, and with two years left on his contract, the club should be looking to tie him down for his prime years.