Milos Kerkez: From Promise to Rising Star, Headed to Liverpool
For any aspiring left-back, Paolo Maldini represents the ultimate idol. The AC Milan legend, with 26 major titles in his brilliant career, has long been the gold standard for left-side defenders. Therefore, it is significant that during his time as technical director at Milan, Maldini personally fought to sign a promising young left-back who was already standing out as a player to watch. What’s his name? Milos Kerkez.This is how Kerkez recounted his transfer in 2021 from ETO FC Győr to Milan. Although the defender had difficulties breaking into the first team at San Siro, joining AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands after only a year in Italy, it’s clear that Maldini’s instincts were correct. Four years later, Kerkez is one of the most exciting defensive talents in Europe and has just secured a £40 million transfer to Liverpool after an excellent season at AFC Bournemouth. Richard Hughes, Liverpool’s sporting director, who signed the AZ defender during his time as Bournemouth’s technical director, was instrumental in securing Kerkez’s signing for Anfield. The Hungarian international becomes the Reds’ third signing of the summer. But, how did it all happen?“You can’t say no when Maldini calls you”,
Milos Kerkez
“It was easy to see that he was going to surprise everyone”
To understand Kerkez’s personality, it’s enough to observe his decision to represent Hungary internationally, a country he could represent through his paternal grandmother, instead of his native Serbia. He was vindicated when he became the youngest player (20 years and 221 days) to represent Hungary in the European Championship in 60 years, when they faced Switzerland in the group stage of Euro 2024.
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“I spoke with him about it once in an interview and what he said was that Serbia never approached him when he was in the youth national teams, and Hungary did. He wanted to give back, maintain that loyalty towards Hungary and represent Hungary at the absolute level as well. I think that speaks to his character, to how he is as a person. He is a very loyal guy and wherever he goes, he is always a fan favorite. He is loved in Hungary.” In fact, it was in Hungary where Kerkez’s career began to take off. After starting at Serbian FK Vrbas, the defender enjoyed a brief stint in Austria with Rapid Vienna, where he was part of a solid group alongside Galatasaray winger Yusuf Demir and Union Berlin defender Leopold Querfeld, before joining Hungarian FC Győr, where he immediately caught the attention of the coaching staff.“I could have chosen Serbia,”
Bence Bocsák, journalist and Hungarian football expert
“At first, he had some problems with the language because he only knew a few words in Hungarian, but he was very friendly and wanted to learn everything. Thanks to this mentality and personality, he fit in quickly, quickly becoming a leader on and off the field.” Miklós Herczeg, former Hungarian international, who also coached Kerkez in Győr, adds: “Milos stood out for his personality. He was wild and unrestrained. In the first team, we quickly noticed that he needed to work alongside a mentor. This was Tamas Priskin, who played in England. He worked a lot with him on and off the field. Milos was always in the gym. When the gym was closed or full of players, he trained in the locker room. His mentality was monstrous. On the field, he stood out for his courage, explosiveness, agility, and strong will to win. He did everything to win, and he liked the game to be about him. In those times, he often criticized his teammates. We once had a conversation with him about it, he responded well and made an effort to change. He understood that he needed to change if he wanted to become a professional footballer.” Not only did Kerkez’s attitude change during his time in Győr; his position on the field also evolved. The coaching staff opted to convert him from a number 10 midfielder to a left-back to give him the best chance to progress to the first team. “They transformed him into that role and he quickly started playing in the first team as well,” says Bocsák. “He was the youngest player to debut with Győr in the Hungarian first division. He was 16 years old and already their starting left-back. Six months later, Milan spotted him and the rest is history.”“Milos came to us when he was 15 years old”,
Peter Tuifel, one of Kerkez’s coaches in Győr
“He had the complete package. If he said he was 25, you’d believe it. He was impatient in the good sense of the word. He wanted to achieve the maximum very quickly and did everything for that, on and off the field. He also spoke to the older players if it was necessary to improve things. Strange as it may seem, I knew he would be great at such a young age and that he would have an impact on the Premier League. I would have trusted few more players with that in all the time I’ve been doing this job.” Like Maldini before him, Huiberts was right to back Kerkez to excel. In his two seasons at Bournemouth, where he arrived in the summer of 2023 for around £15.5 million, the Hungarian international has become one of the most consistent players in the Premier League, starting in every league game for Andoni Iraola’s team last season.“In all those years, I have never seen a player who is so mature at such a young age,”
Max Huiberts, AZ’s sporting director
“I think it was a very smart decision for him to go to Bournemouth. The opportunity he was given there: the sales pitch Richard Hughes gave him was really good. It was brilliant for him to play so many minutes in his first season. I think in his debut season in the Premier League, he played the most minutes of any player under 21 in the league. Once he adapted to English football, it was easy to see that he was going to surprise everyone.”“None of that has surprised me because I have seen it for a long time and I think that in AZ you could already see that he was going to be one of the best young players in his position”,
Bocsák
Robertson’s Brilliance, the Benchmark
said in March, after Kerkez ran 43.6 meters from his own half to assist Marcus Tavernier in Bournemouth’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur. “I think he’s a player who, due to his physical condition, often gets to the final third with the ball under control to deliver good crosses. The number of assists, of good balls he had, was quite low last season… But this season, I think he’s making much better decisions. He’s adding quality to his deliveries. He’s calmer when he gets [to the final third]. I think he spends a lot of time crossing and at the end of training we have to fight with him to get him to come in.” Certainly, that willingness to strive to improve will be of great help to the defender at Anfield.“Milos has improved a lot compared to last season, and he has done a great job, I think defensively”,
Iraola
Kerkez could become the “best left-back in the world”
A few days before Kerkez’s transfer to Liverpool was confirmed, the 21-year-old player had reason to celebrate when he was nominated for the shortlist for the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Young Player of the Year award. Kerkez is one of six Premier League players nominated for the award (former Bournemouth teammates Dean Huijsen and Myles Lewis-Skelly from Arsenal are also among the nominees), and the winner will be announced at a ceremony in August. The inclusion of Kerkez on the shortlist offered another reminder of the defender’s talent and demonstrated exactly why Liverpool were willing to spend big to sign him this summer. Slot spoke last month about his desire to add “additional weapons” to his team, and the belief at Anfield is that Kerkez’s pace and dynamism will be a big advantage as the Reds look to defend the Premier League title next season. Bocsák trusts that Kerkez is more than capable of facing the challenge.said. “People asked me that question about Dominik [Szoboszlai] as well when he first signed for Liverpool and, in terms of their confidence, they are very similar characters. They believe in themselves and have the quality to keep playing at Liverpool for many years. I really believe Milos will be the best left-back in the world at some point in his career, and he is now in the best place to do it. He joins one of the best clubs in the world and that will only bring out the best in him”. For his former coaches, Kerkez’s rise has not been a surprise. And there is hope that his journey from Győr to the Premier League will help inspire the next generation of footballers in Hungary.“I have no doubt that he can handle the pressure”,
Bocsák
says. “But to see a player raised by Győr competing in the Premier League, for one of the strongest teams in the world, Liverpool, is the greatest joy and a source of immense pride. At the same time, Milos’s career is a powerful message to the young players coming to our academy. He gives them an example, but it serves as a source of motivation for all of us who work at the club, to raise the new Milos as soon as possible.”“It’s always a great feeling to watch a match, whether in the stadium or on television, with players whose development we have participated in,”
Tuifel
