“I told him not to be Ronaldo and Messi” - Dominik Szoboszlai’s father shares advice he gave son as Hungary begin Euro 2024 campaign
Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai's father has revealed that he advised the Euro 2024 star to avoid trying to mimic Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. The Liverpool man's father urged his son to be himself and encouraged him to make his name in the game.
The midfielder is the national team captain for the European Championships and is one of the best players his country has produced in generations. While his first match in the competition resulted in a 3-1 loss to Switzerland, he will hope to make amends in the upcoming matches.
Zsolt Szoboszlai, Dominik's father, said:
"I told him not to be Ronaldo and not Messi. If you are thinking of being anyone, be Dominik."
Hungary next face hosts Germany on June 19 where they will hope to make amends for their loss against the Swiss. The Liverpool star will hope to put on an improved performance with his squad and possibly give a performance reminiscent of Ronaldo or Messi. A strong performance could help his nation secure a chance at playing in the next round of Euro 2024.
Dominik Szoboslai and Hungary fall to opening day defeat to Switzerland at Euro 2024
Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has fallen to defeat in his opening Euro 2024 game against Switzerland. The central European nation put on a valiant effort, but could not avoid defeat in their first game against the dominant Alpine nation.
The Swiss opened the scoring in Cologne through Kwadwo Duah after the forward latched onto a low pass from Michel Aebischer's low pass in the 12th minute. Aebischer turned from provider to scorer in the 45th minute when he doubled their lead with a shot into the bottom right, assisted by Remo Freuler.
Hungary got one back in the 66th minute after Dominik Szoboszlai picked out Barnabas Varga with a fine delivery. The captain delivered a devilish ball from the left wing, which was finished with a diving header to make it 2-1.
Breel Embolo ended the game as a contest in the 3rd minute of stoppage time when he made it 3-1 after taking advantage of lax defending by the Hungarians. His goal sees Switzerland head into their game against Scotland with a chip on their shoulder, while Hungary and Szoboszlai have a tough game against hosts Germany. The Central Europeans will hope they can improve their performance if they hope to remain at Euro 2024 past the group stage.