If Roma have Francesco Totti, or Inter have Javier Zanetti, then Napoli has Marek Hamsik. A respected charismatic captain throughout the city of Naples who has strengthened the club longer than anyone.
Hamsik, who is also the captain of the Slovak national team, was born on July 27, 1987, in Banska Bystrica, a city in Slovakia surrounded by hills. His mother is a handball player, while his father is the captain of the five-to-five soccer ball of Slovakia. Later, his wife is also a handball athlete.
Little Hamsik played for Jupie Podlavice, a small club in the area. Only in 2002, at the age of 14, he moved to Slovan Bratislava, Slovakia’s biggest club. According to Hamsik, his move to Slovan had to be accompanied by the sacrifice of his parents, who had to sell the only car to finance the education of the Hamsik academy.
Destiny seemed to quickly pick up Hamsik. In just two years, he was contracted by Brescia, a club in northern Italy. At that time, although he only had six senior appearances with Slovan and only turned 17, Brescia had to spend 500 thousand euros.
Moving to a new country at a young age can make someone’s football career stagnate. In fact, Hamsik was at home in Brescia. Peers take turns taking him home to eat together. Italy did not feel foreign to him.
In the 2006/07 season, Brescia competed in B Serie, becoming a competitor for Napoli who had just gone bankrupt. Hamsik scored 10 goals that season. At the end of the season, Brescia failed to be promoted, while Napoli managed to rise caste. Napoli, who already knew the quality of Hamsik, immediately invited him to level up. Napoli needs to pay 5.5 million euros to keep him.
Since being dressed in a blue sky, Hamsik’s career has skyrocketed. In 2007, he was the runner-up of Slovakia’s best player behind Liverpool’s defender Martin Skrtel. In his first season, he has become Napoli’s top scorer with nine goals.
He has never looked at other clubs since becoming a part of the Neapolitan. His arrival at the San Paolo coincided with Ezequiel Lavezzi, an Argentine player who was both expected to be a legend. In fact, Lavezzi was captivated by PSG’s royalty and so do the other stars such as Edinson Cavani, Gonzalo Higuain, and Jorginho. They all had been helping each other with Hamsik, but they eventually left.
Only Hamsik survived. Witnessing the coach’s succession and the ups and downs of the mainstay players.
The professionalism and loyalty of Hamsik in the Partenopei are undeniable even though his life was threatened. In November 2011, Hamsik’s pregnant wife was robbed and mugged by a gun. In fact, on the same day, Hamsik still appeared with full of concentration in the Champions League match against Manchester City.
In 2013, it was Hamsik’s turn to be robbed. After a goalless match against Sampdoria, the windshield was broken and he was mugged by a gun. In that incident, he must lose his watch and other valuables.
Hamsik’s dedication, which was never timeless, allowed him to break the club record. With a collection of 74 appearances, he is a Napoli player who has the most appearances in Europe. With a collection of 132 goals, he has surpassed Diego Maradona’s record as the club’s top scorer of all time.
His debt for the Neapolitan club could only be the Scudetto title. The last time Napoli was able to reach it was when they were still strengthened by Diego Maradona.
Now, as Napoli routinely becoming a Juventus serious threat in the highest position of Italian football, we can expect Hamsik to be able to present the title Serie A before hanging on…
