Liverpool have recruited an extremely bright talent. Kerkez appeared on the final shortlist for the 2023 Golden Boy award, recognising the best European-based talent under the age of 21. He was also listed in the CIES Football Observatory's ranking of the top 10 most promising two-way left-backs in world football. While representing Hungary in last summer's European Championship, the full-back became the country's youngest player to appear in the tournament in six decades. He is now one of six contenders in the running to be crowned 2024-25 Men's PFA Young Player of the Year.
His style of play. Kerkez relishes the attacking and defensive requirements of being a modern-day full-back. Since arriving in the Premier League, he has received widespread acclaim for his high-energy approach. Kerkez was in the top five for distance covered (233.4 miles) and total sprints (843) among all Premier League players in 2024-25. "I guess it's just in my DNA to run up and down," the explosive 21-year-old said. "And that's what I like to do."
In terms of production, he registered five Premier League assists in the term just completed, the joint-most of any Bournemouth defender in a single campaign. One of those set-ups was an inch-perfect cross for Marcus Tavernier at the end of a 47-yard burst down the channel away at Tottenham Hotspur in March. He started all 38 of Bournemouth's league fixtures in 2024-25 and was also on the scoresheet twice.
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."
His toughest opponent is now his teammate. Kerkez will now be relieved to be on the same team as Mohamed Salah after revealing the Egyptian is the trickiest attacker he has come up against in his career. Kerkez faced Liverpool on four occasions, two of which were played at his new home stadium, and was on the losing side every time.
How many languages he speaks. Milos has represented clubs from six different countries and has the ability to speak Serbian, Hungarian, German, English and some Italian.
Life outside football. Kerkez heads to Serbia every summer to get away from the pressures that come with elite-level football. He told The Guardian recently that his pastimes on those secluded retreats include fishing, camping and chopping wood, all the while separated from his mobile phone. "When you come back you're even more motivated, more energised to do more on the pitch," he explained. He also has two dogs, called Maximus and Had.
Where you can find him on social media. Kerkez posts regular updates about his life on and off the pitch on his Instagram account @miloskerkezofficial. At the time of writing, it has just shy of one million followers.
https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/nine-things-know-about-new-liverpool-signing-milos-kerkez
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