‘One Dream’—Liverpool Star’s Surprise Real Madrid Ambitions Revealed

The links between Real Madrid and Liverpool’s best player this season have been ratcheted up a few notches.

Dominik Szoboszlai (second, left) is understandably a man in demand. | Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC/Getty Images

Hungary national team manager Marco Rossi revealed that Dominik Szoboszlai’s “one dream” as a footballer has always been to join Real Madrid.

Given his current form, it would be the dream of most clubs to be able to call upon a player of Szoboszlai’s calibre.

Liverpool’s new talisman is being hailed by teammates, coaches and even rivals as one of Europe’s best players, inspiring links to some of the biggest clubs on the continent. Real Madrid have been tentatively billed as potential admirers and, according to the man who handed an 18-year-old Szoboszlai his international debut seven years ago, that affection is mutual.

“From what I’ve heard and what I know, and given the very good and direct relationship I’ve had with Dominik since he started playing football as a child, Real Madrid has been his dream,” Rossi told winwin this week. “Dominik, ever since he began playing football, has had one dream: to play for Real Madrid.”

Whether this particular dream will become a reality is far less clear.

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Would Dominik Szoboszlai Move to Real Madrid?

Dominik Szoboszlai has been Liverpool’s best player this season. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Rossi made sure to cover himself, even if his caveats have not been widely reported. “I don’t know if he wants to join Real Madrid or not, but at the same time, he’s currently playing for Liverpool, a big team in the English Premier League,” the Italian-born coach added. “I don’t know if he can take this step, because it depends on his personal decision, as well as the decision of his club.”

“I don’t rule out the possibility of him staying at Liverpool and renewing his contract there, especially since he is highly valued within the club,” Rossi noted. “He is a very important player for Liverpool, and Liverpool is one of the biggest clubs in the world.”

However, the loquacious coach did conclude with the belief that: “The idea that always occupies your mind is to achieve your dream, to make that dream a tangible reality, and this, in my opinion, is the only thing, and the most important thing of all, that can control Szoboszlai’s thinking.”

Szoboszlai’s thought process has been muddled further by an ongoing contract saga. The 25-year-old has a deal at Anfield until the summer of 2028 and he recently explained that progress over an extension has been non-existent. “Nothing yet, to be honest,” he sighed at the start of February. “Nothing, from now on ... it is not in my hands. It works this way. There is no progression but if the right offer comes then let’s see.”

Intriguingly, Szoboszlai stressed his affection for the club and Merseyside en masse without offering any actual reassurances. “Let’s see what happens, hopefully everyone will be happy at the end,” he floated. “Of course [I want to stay]. I like the city, I like the club, I like playing with these guys, I love Anfield, I love the fans, let’s see what the future holds.

“It is not on me,” he added, tellingly. “I would love to [stay]. We will see.”

Liverpool have more pressing contractual issues to attend to before finding the “right offer” Szoboszlai is looking for. However, if they dawdle too long, they could leave the door open for Madrid to strike.

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Would Real Madrid Actually Be Prepared to Sign Szoboszlai?

Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez usually gets his man. | Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

The rumours crediting Real Madrid with an approach for Szoboszlai have been hotly spurious thus far. Nevertheless, the club under the guidance of president Florentino Pérez have never been quick to turn down one of the modern game’s undisputed stars.

Ironically, Liverpool signed Szoboszlai in 2023 after accepting defeat to Real Madrid in the battle to secure a deal for Jude Bellingham. Now the pair could find themselves as teammates in the Spanish capital.

Madrid’s need for midfield reinforcements has been glaring since Toni Kroos’s departure in 2024. Luka Modrić’s exit 12 months later only widened a gaping wound in the club’s quest for central control. Szoboszlai is more in the mould of Federico Valverde than Kroos or Modric; the embodiment of Jürgen Klopp’s heavy metal approach as opposed to a measured tempo-setter.

Valverde’s personal struggles this term ensure that Szoboszlai would be an undoubted upgrade on the unsettled Uruguayan, yet Madrid’s priority is surely a different type of midfielder.

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Arne Slot Holds Szoboszlai Up As an Example to Two Liverpool Players

Florian Wirtz (left) and Hugo Ekitiké were both bought from the Bundesliga. | Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images

Szoboszlai’s willingness to stick it out at Liverpool has been lauded by Arne Slot. “Dominik is great example of the model we are using at this club,” the Dutch boss beamed after Szoboszlai scored in Saturday’s FA Cup win over Brighton & Hove Albion. “We sign young players from another league, this situation [RB] Leipzig, where he was already known as a player for being really physical.

“The player we brought in was already good but where is he now, he is much better than where he was two-and-a-half years ago. That is what you get if you sign young players, give them a bit of time and let them play a lot.

“That’s why the trajectory he has been through can be the same trajectory from other players we have signed from other leagues.

“You can already see their progress but I’ve said many times that next season, the end of the season or in two seasons, players like Hugo [Ekitiké] and Florian [Wirtz], because these are two that come from the Bundesliga, will be better than they are now because they’re already good players for us.”

Who knows, perhaps one day Ekitiké and Wirtz will have to fend off rampant links to Real Madrid?

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