London (AFP) - Liverpool's English football captain, Dutch international defenseman Virgil van Dijk, praised his fellow Hungarian footballer Dominik Soboszlai, describing him as capable of "being the leader of this team" in the future.

Published on: 02/18/2026 - 15:21

Soboslai is considered one of Liverpool's most prominent players in a difficult season for the English Premier League title holder, as the Hungarian international demonstrated his versatility by filling the right-back position when needed.

His Egyptian international colleague Mohamed Salah also praised him, saying that he is "one of the best players in the world right now," after the 25-year-old scored his tenth goal this season during the victory over Brighton (3-0) in the fourth round of the cup competition.

Soboslai is now approaching his best goal tally (12), which he achieved with Austrian Red Bull Salzburg in the 2019-2020 season, while his comprehensive contributions with Liverpool have received widespread praise.

Scottish international full-back Andy Robertson (32 years old next month) is considered Liverpool's second captain after Van Dijk, but his contract expires at the end of the season, making his future ambiguous.

Regarding the possibility of Soboslai taking over the captaincy, Van Dijk said, “This is up to the coach (Dutch Arne Sloot). I don’t know. Yes.”

He added, "Obviously he was very good. I think he can take the next step to be a leader of this team. It starts with leading by example, which is what he did this season."

He continued, "But everything around that needs further development, and that is a good thing in my opinion. We hope that he will be an important player for the coming years with Liverpool."

Sixth-placed Liverpool, which is 17 points behind leaders Arsenal, is still awaiting a final diagnosis for the foot injury suffered by Wataru Endo, the other midfielder who was forced to play at right-back due to injuries.

The Japanese international played only 12 matches this season, most of them as a substitute, but Van Dijk stressed that this does not reflect his importance, saying, “It is unfortunate, as he is a very important and respected player, and he is one of the leaders and always leads as a role model as well.”

He added, "He is giving everything he has on the field. It is a strong blow for us, but we have to deal with it and we will. We hope that his absence will not be long, but it seems that it will take some time."

© 2026 AFP

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