Liverpool's relationship with Hungarian football continues to blossom
At 15, he moved from Austria to Hodmezovasarhelyi in the south of Hungary, and made a decision: "If I get to a good enough level, I want to represent Hungary's national team." That decision today looks prophetic.
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Kerkez is now Hungary's first choice left-back, has already played more than 100 senior club games, and this season made many people's Premier League team of the year - all at the age of 21.
He is also not the only Hungarian moving to Liverpool. This summer, Liverpool have not just signed Kerkez, but also Armin Pecsi - a 20-year-old goalkeeper from Puskas Akademia, the club closest to Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban's heart.
The symbolism is impossible to ignore: the most storied club in England tapping directly into Orban's £3bn football project.
Liverpool's history with Hungarian players has been patchy at best.
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Istvan Kozma joined in 1992 but never settled. The highly rated trio of Krisztian Nemeth, Andras Simon and Krisztian Adorjan flattered but faded. Even Peter Gulacsi, now among Europe's elite goalkeepers, was once just 'the other keeper' behind Pepe Reina and Brad Jones.
But Kerkez - like Dominik Szoboszlai before him - is the product of a very different Hungary.
In the past decade, the Hungarian Football Federation has begun building a modernised system to become a sophisticated footballing outfit.
It is not only about money - though Orban's vast investment has played its part. It is about momentum and method. Data-led development, better coaching pipelines, and a renewed sense of national pride have combined to give young players real pathways.
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Kerkez has followed that pathway. With AZ he saw the vision. At Bournemouth, he chose the project, not the prestige.
Now, he is moving to the Premier League champions and one of the biggest clubs in the world.
For Liverpool? Well, the Hungarian market is beginning to bear very different fruit.
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