Marek Hamsik

At 37 years old, Marek Hamsik has this physical status:

Marek Hamk (Slovak pronunciation: [mareama]; born 27 July 1987) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Süper Lig club Trabzonspor. He captained the Slovakian national team.

Hamk joined Brescia in 2004 after starting his club career with Slovan Bratislava in 2004. He was acquired by recently promoted Serie A club Napoli in 2007, where he became a mainstay in the squad's starting lineup. His contributions, leadership, ingenuity, creativity, and eye for goal from midfield saw him play a key role in the team's success to two Coppa Italia titles, a Supercoppa Italiana, UEFA Champions League qualification, and the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League semi-finals. During his 12 years with the club, he scored 121 goals and 521 appearances in all competitions; he was also named as the club's captain in 2017 (surpassed by Dries Mertens in 2020) and the club's all-time appearance holder in 2018. He joined Chinese club Dalian Professional (then Dalian Yifang).

At the international level, Hamk helped Slovakia qualify for the country's first FIFA World Cup, captaining the team in the 2010 tournament after defeating Italy's defending champions. For the first time in 2016, he will lead his country to European Championship qualification; Hamk's second straight European Championship appearance will follow. Ham'k has earned 135 international caps, scoring 26 goals, and was Slovakia's most capped player ever as of 2021. He scored his 25th international goal in 2019, beating Róbert Vittek as the country's all-time top scorer.

Ham'k has also received several individual awards for his performances: he is an eight-time winner of the Slovak Footballer of the Year Award, and he was named Serie A Young Footballer of the Year in 2008. He was named in 2011 and 2017 in the Serie A Team of the Year, and in 2015, he was selected in the UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season. By Bloomberg, Hamk was ranked as Europe's eighth best footballer in 2013.

Personal life

Hamk married Martina Fraová in July 2014. The couple have three children.

Michaela's sister, Michaela, is married to Uruguayan footballer Walter Gargano, Hamk's former teammate at Napoli.

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Club career

Despite the fact that Hamk grew up in Banská Bystrica, he never played for a national team Dukla Banská Bystrica. Rather, Jupie Podlavice joined a small youth team. In 2002, he joined Slovan Bratislava, the Czech national team. He appeared six times for the Slovan Bratislava first team, scoring one goal.

Hamk joined Italian Serie A club Brescia for a €500,000 transfer fee in 2004. In a 3–1 away loss to Chievo on March 20, 2005, he made his Brescia debut when he was 17 years and 237 days old. Brescia finished 19th in Serie A and was therefore relegated to Serie B later this season. He appeared in 24 league matches for Brescia between 2005-06, with Brescia finishing tenth, with Brescia finishing tenth. He had a good 2006-07 season, scoring 10 goals in 40 games.

After Napoli paid Brescia a €5.5 million transfer fee, Hamk signed a five-year deal with the club on June 28th. Hamk, according to Napoli club chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis, is a player who should be closely monitored in the future.

Hamk won the first round of the Coppa Italia on August 15, 2007, against Cesena; Napoli defeated Cesena 4–0; Napoli won the match 4–0 as Hamk set up the first goal and scored the second himself. In the match against Sampdoria, he scored his first goal in Serie A on September 16, 2007.

Pavel Nedvd, a Czech midfielder, to whom Hamk has often been compared due to his playing style. He was named the second best Slovak footballer of the year in 2007 by Martin krtel, and also the highest young Slovak footballer of the year (the Peter Dubovsk Trophy). Hamk spent his first season with Napoli as the club's top scorer, with nine goals from 37 matches. Hamk scored in both of Napoli's first two games and went on to score a further nine goals in his second season with the club, finishing as Napoli's top scorer for the second year in a row.

In 2009, he came back as the best young Slovak footballer of the year and resurrect his title as the best young Slovak footballer of the year.

Hamk scored Napoli's first goal after going from a goal down to beat Sampdoria 2–1 in Genoa on September 19, 2010. Hamk signed a three-year contract extension on September 23, which will continue through June 2015. Napoli defeated Cesena 4–1 after three days later, Hamk scored his second goal of the season with an 81st-minute penalty to win Napoli a 4–1 comeback victory over the newly promoted Cesena. On January 30, 2011, Hamk scored a well-taken effort as Napoli defeated Sampdoria 4–0.

Hamk's 2010-11 season was a huge success for the Napoli team, winning automatic qualification into the UEFA Champions League after finishing third in Serie A, scoring 11 goals and contributing 6 assists.

In Napoli's 2–0 home victory over Villarreal on September 27th, Hamk scored the winning goal, earning Napoli their first ever victory in the Champions League. Napoli welcomed Serie A table leaders Juventus to the Stadio San Paolo on November 29th; Hamk missed a 15th-minute penalty before heading for the hosts' lead seven minutes later. The match was enthralling, but it came to a 3-3 draw after Napoli conceded two late goals to keep Juventus's undefeated start to the season.

Hamk was responsible for Gökhan Inler's first goal against Villarreal on December 7th, who then scored the decisive goal, helping Napoli beat Napoli 2–0 in Spain. With a very diverse field, which included Bayern Munich and Manchester City, the winner assured qualification to the round of 16 in a very competitive group. Hamk helped Napoli finish the 2011–12 campaign on a high note in Napoli's 6–1 hammering of Genoa on December 21. In the match, Hamk also helped with strikes by Goran Pandev and Walter Gargano. Hamk had played in 16 Serie A matches in the first half of the 2011–12 season, netting five goals and five assists. Hamk played in all six group stage matches in Napoli's European campaign, scoring two goals and one assist.

Hamk was a contributing contributor for Edinson Cavani's goal and scored Napoli's third goal in the 3–1 victory over Palermo on January 8. In a 2–0 home win over Chievo on February 13, he made his 200th appearance for Napoli.

Hamk signed a one-year contract with Napoli on March 9, extending his stay at the club until June 2016. As Napoli defeated Cagliari 6–3 winners, Hamk scored an amazing angled shot against Cagliari earlier that day. Hamk's last game of the season came in a 2–0 victory over Palermo on May 1st as he doubled Napoli's lead in the 35th minute following Edinson Cavani's penalty. Napoli ended the season in fifth place in Serie A, with Hamk delivering nine league goals and nine assists.

On May 20, Hamk was also very influential when Napoli defeated Scudetto champion Juventus in the Coppa Italia final. Ham'k was one-on-one with Juve goalkeeper Marco Storari, who made no mistake when he crushed it past the rushing Storari, winning the Partenopei its first trophy in over 20 years.

Hamk began on Monday in the 2012 Supercoppa Italiana, which was held in Beijing, but Napoli were defeated by Juventus 4–2 in extra time. Hamk scored the club's first goal and assisted Christian Maggio's strike in Napoli's first league match of the 2012–13 season in a 2-0 loss to Palermo later this month. On October 28, 2012, Napoli defeated Chievo in a 1–0 victory despite leading goal scorer Edinson Cavani's return to the club's match against Chievo. In a 4–1 home victory over Roma on 6 January 2013, he made his 200th appearance in Serie A. Hamk won by a pass from Goran Pandev in the 93rd minute, confirming the club's spot in the Champions League's group stages while losing Siena to relegation. During the 2012-2013 season, the Slovaks appeared in every Serie A match for Napoli, scoring 11 goals and 14 assists as the Partenopei finished second behind reigning champions Juventus, who then became coach of Internazionale later this year.

Hamk signed a new deal with Napoli on August 10th, extending his stay with the club until the summer of 2018. Hamk scored Napoli's second and third goals in the club's 3–0 home loss to Bologna in the first match of the 2013-14 Serie A season on Sunday. Hamk's scoring form in Napoli's upcoming match increased, with a second brace in their 4–2 victory over Chievo on August 31.

Hamk was named Napoli's new captain following Paolo Cannavaro's transfer to Sassuolo in 2014. He made his 300th appearance for Napoli against Internazionale on April 27, 2014, a 0–0 draw. In Napoli's 3–1 victory over Fiorentina in the 2014 Coppa Italia Final, Hamk played 63 minutes in 63 minutes on May 3rd.

Hamk scored the opening goal, his first goal of the 2014–15 season, in the second leg of Napoli's Champions League play-off against Athletic Bilbao, as Bilbao came from behind to win the match 3–1 at home and ban Napoli from the tournament. Hamk scored the first goal in Napoli's second group match of the season's UEFA Europa League on Sunday, defeating Antonio Juliano as the club's record holder in European club competitions.

Following extra time, Hamk lifted the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana as Napoli's captain, defeating Juventus 6–5 on penalties. As Napoli advanced to win the game on penalties, he scored his first Coppa Italia goal of the season in the round of 16 against Udinese on January 22, 2015, on penalties. In a 3–0 win over Milan in Serie A, he scored his 90th goal for Napoli on May 3rd.

Hamk returned to playing as a central midfielder on the left in Napoli's three-man midfield for the 2015–16 season, as he described it as his favorite position under new Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri's reign. Hamk scored the first goal in a 2–1 away loss to Sassuolo on the first match of the Serie A season on August 23, 2015. In a 5–0 victory over Club Brugge in the Europa League's group stage on September 17, he scored in a 5–0 victory. In a 2–1 home win over Torino on 6 January 2016, he made his 300th appearance in Serie A, scoring in a 2–1 victory. In the upcoming league match against Napoli on January 10th, he made his 300th appearance in Serie A, beating Frosinone 5–1 away, as Napoli finished the first half of the season as unofficial "winter champions" in the first half. He suited the occasion by scoring a goal, his 80th in Serie A, all of which were scored with Napoli.

Hamk had signed a new four-year contract on August 6, 2016, keeping him at the club until 2020. In a 2–0 home win over Chievo in Serie A on September 24, he scored his 100th goal for the club.

Hamk scored his 115th goal for Napoli in a 3–1 away victory over Torino on December 16, bringing equalling Diego Maradona as the club's all-time top scorer. With his 116th goal for Napoli, which came in a 3–2 win over Sampdoria in Naples, he tied Maradona's record one week later, becoming the club's outright all-time top goalscorer. In a 2–2 home draw against Torino on May 6, 2018, he scored his 100th goal in Serie A (all of which came with Napoli).

Hamk beat Torino 3–1 away on September 23, his 400th appearance in Serie A. He made his 511th appearance for Napoli in a 1–1 home draw against Roma on October 28, equaling Giuseppe Bruscolotti as the club's all-time appearance champion. He defeated Bruscolotti in all competitions for Napoli on November 6 in a 1–1 home draw against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on November 6th.

He signed a €13 million fee with Chinese club Dalian Professional (then Dalian Yifang), bringing an eleven-and-a-half year relationship with Napoli to an end. Hamk made his club debut in a 1–1 away draw against Henan Jianye on March 3rd in the 2019 Chinese Super League season's first match.

He signed as a free agent with Swedish club IFK Göteborg on March 8th, 2021. Since breaking the terms of his then club, Dalian Professional, with no way to play until UEFA Euro 2020, he returned to Europe to get some play time. He then moved to Allsvenskan, where the transfer window was still open, and he signed for Göteborg until August 2021. In a league match against AIK on April 19, he made his debut for Göteborg, replacing Simon Thern in the 73rd minute of a 2–0 win. On May 17th, he scored his first and only goal for the club, winning a 2–2 draw with IK Sirius, as well as a winful goal in Allsvenskan.

It was announced on 8 June 2021 that he would join Trabzonspor, a Turkish team, on a two-year deal, beginning 1 July. Hamk scored on his Süper Lig debut for the club, defeating Yeni Malatyaspor 5–1 on August 16th.

International career

Hamk competed in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualifiers and the UEFA European Under-19 Championship, representing Slovakia at junior level and the UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifiers. He also played for the Slovakian national under-21 team.

Hamk is a regular member of Slovakia's national team. He made his debut against Poland on February 7, 2007, which resulted in a 2–2 draw. In the UEFA Euro 2008 qualification, he played his second match against Germany, which Slovakia lost 2–1. He was a key member of the national team's attack, often as a left or central attacking midfielder. Hamk captained his country in his first FIFA World Cup appearance in South Africa in 2010, where the country advanced to the first knockout stage after defeating Italy 3–2. In the first knockout stage, Slovakia was defeated by the Netherlands later this year.

Hamk also played a key role in helping his country prepare for Euro 2016 for the first time in history, finishing second in Slovakia's qualifying group behind defending champions Spain in its qualifying group. In the first match of the competition, Slovakia suffered a close 2–1 loss to Wales. After dribbling past several Welsh defenders, Hamk came close to opening the scoring in the third minute of play, but Ben Davies denied him with a goal-line clearance. Hamk scored a goal and then won by himself in Slovakia's second group B match of the tournament, defeating Russia on June 15, 2016, his country's first in the competition. Slovakia advanced to the second round of the tournament after a 0–0 draw with England on June 20th. Nevertheless, Slovakia was disqualified in the round of 16 on June 26, after losing 3–0 to Germany, the reigning world champions.

Hamk lost 0–1 to Scotland in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier match on October 5th, his 100th appearance for the Slovak national team.

Ham's 108th international appearance in a 2–1 home loss to the Czech Republic in the UEFA Nations League on October 13th; with this cap, he overtook Miroslav Karhan to become Slovakia's most capped player ever. With a goal, his 22nd for his country, he tied for second on goal total, only behind Róbert Vittek with 23 goals.

Despite a surprise retirement of Martin krtel at the end of February, Hamk regained the captainship of the national team in March 2019, most notably during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Hamk served as the vice-captain to krtel in the previous years.

Hamk announced his international retirement in May 2022, winning a total of 135 games and scoring 26 goals in them. His resignation is attributed to the increasing number of injuries he suffered in the previous months and his family's spending more time with his family. Nonetheless, he said he would like to play in a final retirement match at home during the fall of the year.

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