How shining is Napoli and Slovakia’s Marek HamÅ¡Ãk?
“The beloved each primogenitor would dream of for their daughter” according to one of his former coaches, Marek HamÅ¡Ãk has damaged Diego Maradona’s bar record with his 116th idea for Napoli. UEFA.com builds a tabernacle in his honour.
What they say
“I don’t know because a media don’t write some-more about him; he’s a good footballer, a noble player. He is positively among a best in a universe in his position and a genuine pleasure to play with.”
Allan, Napoli midfielder
“He’s a smashing chairman and a indication actor and professional. Here’s anticipating football keeps rewarding him for what he puts in.”
Edinson Cavani, former Napoli team-mate
“HamÅ¡Ãk is a really intelligent footballer, he gets around a representation according to what his team-mates are doing. Marek is also a special lad, a beloved each primogenitor would dream of for their daughter.”
Riccardo Bigon, former Napoli executive of sport
“I wanted to pointer him a initial time we saw him train – conduct up, dual feet, crafty flitting and an bargain of where to be on a pitch. He came with his grandfather. we told him it was a earnest opening though it would be good to have one some-more demeanour during him, though we knew already we wanted him in my team.”
Igor Bôbik, HamÅ¡Ãk’s girl manager during Slovan
“He has an abnormally clever constitution. When we did tests like oxygen saturation, his complement renewed within dual days; many players need 3 or 4 days. It’s a benefaction for him.”
Ján BaÅ¥alÃk, Slovakia inhabitant organisation doctor
Current tally
International: 103 appearances, 21 goals
UEFA bar competition: 72 appearances, 15 goals
Domestic competition: 486 appearances, 114 goals
Claims to fame
Slovan Bratislava
• Played usually 6 times for his initial bar before being eliminated to Italy, aged 17, for a price of around €500,000. His usually idea in Slovak football came in Jul 2004 opposite Michalovce in a second division, when a aggressive midfielder was 16. “Slovan were always a No1 bar in Slovakia for me,” he said. “That’s because we motionless to go there.”
Brescia
• Signed by Brescia in 2004, he started out with their Under-19s though done his Serie A crawl in Mar 2005 when he was still 17, apropos a third actor from Slovakia to seem in a Italian tip flight.
• Brescia were relegated that deteriorate and HamÅ¡Ãk became a first-team unchanging in Serie B a following term, scoring a Coppa Italia idea opposite AC Milan. Ten goals in 40 Serie B games in 2006/07 assured Napoli to buy him for a reported €5.5m.
• HamÅ¡Ãk’s initial idea during a Stadio San Paolo in Dec 2006 was not for Napoli, though a satisfaction for Brescia in a 3-1 Serie B reverse.
Napoli
• Scored on his Napoli entrance on 15 Aug 2007, opposite Cesena in a Coppa Italia; a month later, he got his initial Serie A idea in a 2-0 better of Sampdoria. He finished his initial Napoli deteriorate as a team’s nine-goal tip marksman.
• Became a initial unfamiliar actor to accept a ‘Oscar del Calcio’ as a best immature actor in Serie A in Jan 2009, circumference out Sebastian Giovinco and Mario Balotelli.
• With 9 strikes in 2007/08 and 2008/09 and afterwards 12 in 2009/10, HamÅ¡Ãk was a initial actor to finish as Napoli’s heading scorer in 3 unbroken seasons given Maradona.
• Scored in a 2-0 Coppa Italia final delight over Juventus on 20 May 2012 as a Partenopei carried a prize for a initial time in 25 years. It was his initial vital honour, his second entrance when Napoli kick Fiorentina 3-1 in a 2014 final.
• Became a youngest actor to captain Napoli, aged 22 years and 229 days, when holding a armband for a Serie A diversion opposite Fiorentina on 13 Mar 2010. Following Paolo Cannavaro’s departure, he became Napoli’s long-term skipper on 31 Jan 2014.
• Was named Slovakia’s Player of a Year for an rare fifth time in 2016 – a record he is approaching to extend.
• Posted a initial hat-trick of his career on 4 Sep 2017 in a 7-1 wander during Bologna.
• Moved turn with Maradona as a club’s 115-goal tip scorer with a idea in a 3-1 win during Torino on Saturday 16 Dec 2017. “I honour Marek for his 115th goal,” Maradona pronounced graciously. “I wish he will measure many some-more for a fun of a Napoli fans.”
Slovakia
• Capped during U17, U19 and U21 levels, HamÅ¡Ãk done his comparison debut – a nine-minute cameo – in a 2-2 pull with Poland on 7 Feb 2007 when he was 19.
• Was usually 22 when captaining Slovakia during their initial FIFA World Cup in South Africa in 2010, for a peril with team-mates that he would trim off his heading mohican if his side survived a organisation stage. They mislaid 2-1 to a Netherlands in a turn of 16.
• Slovakia’s five-goal tip marksman in qualifying, he led his nation once some-more as they done their UEFA European Championship entrance during UEFA EURO 2016, reaching a final 16 again. He gave a important opening with a tasty support and a idea in a 2-1 feat over Russia. “He is a good actor and we design these things from him,” pronounced co-worker VladimÃr Weiss.
What we competence not know
• Born in Banska Bystrica, HamÅ¡Ãk was due to be christened Marko after his good grandfather though a name (which is Croatian) was not available due to internal registration manners during a time. “So we gave him a name Marek,” explained his mother, Renáta HamÅ¡Ãková.
• He initial played for internal outfit Jupie Podlavice, assisting them into a tip girl division. “It was where we schooled to play football,” HamÅ¡Ãk said. “I usually have good memories of those days.”
• Growing up, his favourite clubs were Barcelona and Manchester United.
• His mohican haircut was ranked a ninth best in football by one poll. He reportedly has his possess personal barber, Igor Novosad, to safeguard he gets it right.
• At Napoli, HamÅ¡Ãk is nicknamed ‘Marekiaro’ after Marechiaro – a tiny strand encampment nearby Naples, eminent for a fanciful views and seafood restaurants, that was a glamourous hang-out in a 1960s. ‘Marechiare’ was also immortalised in strain by world-famous effort Mario Lanza.
• HamÅ¡Ãk’s sister Michaela is married to former Napoli midfielder Walter Gargano. HamÅ¡Ãk had teased Gargano after a Uruguayan midfielder saw a print of Michaela, saying: “You’d like to get to know my sister, wouldn’t you?” Now a integrate have 3 sons.
• Back in Slovakia, Michaela played sport for Banská Bystrica alongside Marek’s destiny mother Martina Franova. In December, a integrate had a third child, Melissa. Their sons Christian and Lucas (born 2010 and 2012) are already personification football, despite in an academy dependent to Udinese.
What he says
“The Napoli shirt is my second skin, though my goal will not be over until we have won a Italian title.”
“I adore Napoli and a fans adore me. we could never leave this town. we would rather win one prize here than 10 elsewhere.”
“[Maradona] will always be No1. we like to consider we could be tighten to his turn one day, though to do so we need to win vital trophies with Napoli.”
“I know we have been criticised for my displays for Slovakia, though when we wear a inhabitant shirt, we give 100% each game, either we play good or not.”
What he competence grasp yet
• With 96 Serie A goals, he requires 8 some-more to compare Antonio Vojak’s bar record of 103.
• He needs usually dual some-more general goals to equal Róbert Vittek’s Slovakia record of 23, and is within 4 caps of throwing Miroslav Karhan (107) as a nation’s coming record holder.
• Level in second with Gonzalo HiguaÃn on 15, HamÅ¡Ãk is 4 goals bashful of Edinson Cavani’s bar record of 19 for Napoli in UEFA bar competitions. Four of Cavani’s strikes came from a chastisement mark since all of HamÅ¡Ãk’s have been from open play.
• Should he stay during Napoli prolonged term, HamÅ¡Ãk could bluster Giuseppe Bruscolotti’s record of 511 outings in all competitions for a club; his benefaction sum is 478.
• Win a Serie A pretension and/or a vital UEFA trophy. Napoli final won a joining in 1990 with Maradona, a year after their usually vital European honour, a 1988/89 UEFA Cup. Napoli tip Serie A and play Leipzig in a UEFA Europa League turn of 32: could they win a double?