Dominik Szoboszlai was at the center of a hilarious April Fool’s gag courtesy of Hungary’s leading telecommunications company, Magyar Telekom. They unveiled a statue supposedly in his likeness, though it bore no resemblance to the Liverpool star whatsoever.
The Reds’ midfielder was expecting a modest celebration acknowledging the one-year anniversary with the telecoms brand when he was confronted with an unusual sculpture crafted from recycled mobile phones.
What stood before him was a bizarre life-sized effigy that looked nothing like Szoboszlai, complete with distorted facial features, an overly polished chin, and a grotesquely exaggerated quiff – naturally leaving the skipper for Hungary absolutely gobsmacked.
Faced with the question of whether he liked the statue, Szoboszlai managed: “No. I was this close to walking out. I only stayed because I respect you. I don’t think this has ever happened before, to do something without asking. This looks nothing like me. It looks like my a– turned inside out.
The surprises didn’t stop there; Szoboszlai was led to believe that an even larger version of the peculiar statue would be installed at a central crossroads in town and floated down the River Danube on a barge during Hungary’s national holiday on August 20.
Remaining in disbelief until Telekom revealed the jest, Szoboszlai’s shock was palpable. The video, shared by Sport Bible on Instagram, quickly became a talking point among fans.
One fan commented with a jest: “Designed by Arda Guler,” which spurred another to respond: “Arda liked it,” including a string of laughing emojis as they joined in on the fun.
The duo had a heated exchange during last month’s UEFA Nations League match between Hungary and Turkey. Guler retaliated against Szoboszlai, labelling him ‘a joke’.
Subsequently, Szoboszlai took a jab at the Real Madrid player on social media after their confrontation. In response to an Instagram post showing Guler silencing him, the Hungarian posted ‘1088’ – the precise number of minutes the 20 year old has played for Real Madrid this season.
Szoboszlai has enjoyed a strong season for Liverpool and will hope to keep his place for the game against Fulham on Sunday. The Reds can extend their lead at the top of the table to 14 points with victory at Craven Cottage after Arsenal was held by Everton.
