A defensive icon is one of his admirers. Kerkez’s budding early career took him to AC Milan in 2021. He was convinced to make a move to the Italian giants after a phone call with then-technical director Paolo Maldini, one of the best left-backs in the history of football. “When a big club like AC Milan looks for you, there aren’t many people who can say no,” Kerkez was quoted as saying. “I received a phone call directly from Paolo Maldini. The decision was very simple and I took it together with my father.” He played against Liverpool twice in the 2021-22 UEFA Youth League during his time with I Rossoneri. His opponents on those occasions included Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah and Stefan Bajcetic.
Why he plays for Hungary. Kerkez was born in Serbia in the town of Vrbas but qualifies to play for Hungary through his grandmother, and has represented them at youth through to senior level. Explaining that choice, he told a Hungarian newspaper: “My father and my Hungarian grandmother would have wanted it, and so did I, there was no question about it. I decided at a very young age, at 14, that if I ever got that far in my career, I would like to play for the Hungarian national team.” Kerkez made his senior debut on the international scene in September 2022 and has 23 caps to date.
He’s already close to Dominik Szoboszlai. Kerkez considers Liverpool’s No.8 to be one of his best friends in football, and we can expect that relationship to only strengthen now they are teammates for club and country. “I mean, with Dominik I’m really close,” Kerkez said previously. “We’re playing in a national team and we’re talking a lot. In the last few months we were talking a lot, texting, calling and keeping a really close connection. Even before I arrived here at Bournemouth we were close.”
