During his time playing, Puskas had the same figure and style as Diego Maradona, short (only 1m70 tall), but bold with strong running steps. He possesses extremely powerful shots, the ball goes silent and hits the goal. Usually when kicking Puskas does not need to gain too much momentum. In addition to his strong thigh muscles, one of his secrets, as it is said, is… small feet. Exactly how no one knows, but in Hungary, what is right for Puskas will be true for the rest. That is why to this day, the coaches there are still looking for players to follow the Puskas model. оne of the criteria, therefore, is small feet.

Taller than 1m85, Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool’s star signing this summer, of course, does not have much similarity in appearance with Puskas. Minus one point: a pair of petite feet. So big, but the former RB Leipzig midfielder only wears size 7 UK shoes (equivalent to 40-41). It is this feature, along with long legs, that helps Szoboszlai to launch neat and powerful shots. At least according to people who have worked with him before.

Szoboszlai only wears size 41 shoes – Photo: The Athletic

Szoboszlai’s small feet are not a gift from God. It was a “work” of his father. As a child, Szoboszlai was often asked by his father – who was also clearly a fan of Puskas – to wear shoes that were tighter than usual. Mr. Zsolt, also a former footballer, believes that by doing so, his son’s feet will not grow anymore. Combined with a proper training regimen that focuses on technique, his son Dominik can grow up to be a superstar at kicking the ball.

“You could sаy it was a football hаck,” a source, who asked to remain anonymous so as not to affect his relationship with the Szoboszlai family, told The Athletic. “Because if you have big feet, you can’t shoot the ball properly, unless it’s Ibrahimovic.

“To shoot the ball properly, you need long legs and small feet, and that’s why Dominik’s dad was so strict with him when he was young. Just look at him now. see.”

What about Szoboszlai now? As expected, the Hungarian star quickly integrated into his new life in England. In the recent 3-1 win over Bournemouth, he was the most prominent player on the Liverpool side, contributing to 2 of the 3 goals of the home team. His ability to drag the ball and maneuver in tight spaces is impressive. He is the player with the most passes on target (65), and also the player with the most successful passes (3).

But there is one quality Szoboszlai has yet to manifest. That is the ability to shoot the ball. Liverpool fans must have reason to wonder, is their team really owning a “slag machine” ready to succeed Steven Gerrard, or is it all just “legend”?

Does foot size matter?

Hungarians, of course, believe so. But most people in the profession don’t think small (or large) feet will help one player shoot better than another. The decisive factor according to them is still technique: how to place the pillars, how to swing the legs, how to lock the ankles… And those are things that can be trained.