‘It was very tough’ – Dominik Szoboszlai says one on-field setback in 2025 still makes him ‘sad’ | OneFootball

Dominik Szoboszlai has revealed which on-field setback in 2025 prompted him to say that he ‘never felt more sad’ in terms of his football career.

The last 12 months have seen the midfielder experience incredible highs and lows both on and off the pitch, having tasted Premier League glory with Liverpool and become a father for the first time, but also suffered the heartbreaking loss of a friend and teammate in Diogo Jota.

In November, the 25-year-old endured one of the hardest moments of his career when his Hungary side threw away their chance at World Cup qualification with a last-gasp defeat to Republic of Ireland, having only needed a draw in Budapest to advance to the play-off for the finals in North America.

Szoboszlai: Missing out on World Cup was ‘very tough’

In an interview with Sky Sports, Szoboszlai spoke of what he still wants to achieve in football, and in addition to winning the Champions League and another Premier League title at club level, getting to the global tournament with his nation is a major goal.

The Liverpool midfielder said: “Being in the next World Cup with Hungary, after we… don’t talk about it. It was very tough [the defeat to Ireland]. I never felt more sad. I wasn’t angry, I was sad; more sad than this, never ever before. I owe them a World Cup.”

(Photo by David Balogh/Getty Images)

Szoboszlai still has time to make amends for Hungary

Szoboszlai’s agony at Hungary’s World Cup qualifying failure – which was laid bare in an emotional TV interview that evening – was compounded by being on the end of an X-rated jibe by Irish pundit Kevin Doyle.

The Liverpool midfielder had already been robbed of a European Championship earlier in his career due to injury, although he did make amends by playing at the 2024 edition in Germany, and he’s still young enough to realistically have two more World Cup campaigns in him.

His lingering heartache at missing out on the finals in North America hasn’t negatively impacted him at club level, with our number 8 being widely regarded as the Reds’ most consistent performer in what has collectively been a thoroughly disappointing season so far.

While everyone at Anfield would’ve sympathised with him on a personal level after Hungary’s defeat to Ireland, Szoboszlai will at least have all of next summer off, and that breather could be quite welcome from an LFC point of view – only Virgil van Dijk has played more than his 2,333 minutes for the club so far in this campaign.

After enduring the bitter taste of World Cup failure at the Puskas Arena in November, how wonderful would it be for the 25-year-old to experience the other extreme at the same stadium at the end of May in the form of Champions League glory with Liverpool (and in his homeland, no less!)