Marek Hamšík facts for kids
Hamšík playing for Napoli in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 27 July 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia | ||
| Height | 1.83 m | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2002 | Jupie Podlavice | ||
| 2002–2004 | Slovan Bratislava | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2002–2004 | Slovan Bratislava | 6 | (1) |
| 2004–2007 | Brescia | 65 | (10) |
| 2007–2019 | Napoli | 408 | (100) |
| 2019–2021 | Dalian Professional | 42 | (4) |
| 2021 | IFK Göteborg | 6 | (1) |
| 2021–2023 | Trabzonspor | 49 | (5) |
| Total | 576 | (121) | |
| National team | |||
| 2003–2004 | Slovakia U17 | 6 | (3) |
| 2005–2006 | Slovakia U19 | 6 | (1) |
| 2006–2007 | Slovakia U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 2007–2023 | Slovakia | 138 | (26) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2023– | Slovakia (assistant) | ||
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Marek Hamšík (born 27 July 1987) is a Slovak football coach and former player. He played as a midfielder. Currently, he is the team manager and assistant coach for the Slovakia national team.
Marek started his club career with Slovan Bratislava in 2004. Later that year, he moved to the Italian club Brescia. In 2007, he joined Napoli, a team that had just been promoted to Serie A. He quickly became a very important player for them.
His energy, leadership, and skill helped Napoli win two Coppa Italia titles and a Supercoppa Italiana. He scored 121 goals and played 521 games for Napoli over twelve seasons. He was also the team's captain from 2014 to 2019. In 2017, he became Napoli's all-time top goalscorer. In 2018, he became the player with the most appearances for the club.
In February 2019, Hamšík moved to the Chinese club Dalian Professional. In 2021, he signed with the Turkish team Trabzonspor. He helped them win a Süper Lig title before he retired from playing in 2023. He also used to be the captain of the Slovakia national team.
Marek Hamšík helped Slovakia qualify for their first ever FIFA World Cup in 2010. He captained the team as they reached the round of 16. They even beat the defending champions Italy. He also led his country to qualify for the UEFA European Championship for the first time in 2016. They reached the second round again. He played in a second European Championship in 2020.
From 2007 to 2023, Hamšík played 138 international games and scored 26 goals. In 2018, he became Slovakia's most capped player ever. In 2019, he became the nation's all-time top scorer.
Marek Hamšík has won many individual awards. He won the Slovak Footballer of the Year award eight times. In 2008, he was named Serie A Young Footballer of the Year. He was also chosen for the Serie A Team of the Year in 2011, 2016, and 2017. In 2015, he was part of the UEFA Europa League Squad of the season.
Contents
Marek Hamšík's Club Career
Starting His Football Journey
Marek Hamšík grew up in Banská Bystrica, but he did not play for the main local team. Instead, he started with a small youth team called Jupie Podlavice. In 2002, he joined Slovan Bratislava, a top Slovak club. He played six games for their first team and scored one goal.
In 2004, when he was 17, Hamšík moved to Italy. He joined the Serie A club Brescia for about €500,000. He played his first game for Brescia on 20 March 2005. Brescia was later moved down to Serie B. In the 2005–06 season, he played 24 league matches. He had a great 2006–07 season, scoring 10 goals in 40 games.
Time at Napoli
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On 28 June 2007, Napoli signed Hamšík for €5.5 million. He signed a five-year contract. Napoli's chairman said Hamšík was a player to watch for the future.
Hamšík played his first game for Napoli on 15 August 2007. It was against Cesena in the Coppa Italia. Napoli won 4–0. Hamšík helped set up the first goal and scored the second himself. He scored his first goal in Serie A on 16 September 2007 against Sampdoria.
Many people compared Hamšík to the famous Czech midfielder Pavel Nedvěd. This was because of their similar playing style. In 2007, Hamšík was voted the second-best Slovak footballer. He was also named the best young Slovak footballer. He finished his first season as Napoli's top scorer with nine goals. In his second season, he scored nine more goals, again being Napoli's top scorer.
In 2009, he was again the runner-up for best Slovak footballer. He also won the best young Slovak footballer award again.
Key Seasons with Napoli
On 19 September 2010, Hamšík scored Napoli's first goal in a 2–1 win over Sampdoria. A few days later, he signed a contract extension until June 2015. He scored his second goal of the season with a penalty in a 4–1 win against Cesena. On 30 January 2011, he scored in Napoli's 4–0 win over Sampdoria.
The 2010–11 season was very good for Hamšík. He helped Napoli finish third in Serie A. This meant they automatically qualified for the UEFA Champions League. Hamšík played in 36 league games, scoring 11 goals and giving 6 assists.
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In the 2011–12 season, Hamšík scored the winning goal against Villarreal in the Champions League. This was Napoli's first ever win in the competition. He also scored a great goal in Napoli's 6–1 win over Genoa. He also helped with assists in that game. He played in all six group stage matches in Europe, scoring two goals.
On 13 February 2012, he played his 200th game for Napoli. This was in a 2–0 win against Chievo. On 9 March, he signed a new contract until June 2016. He scored a fantastic goal against Cagliari that day. Napoli won 6–3. Hamšík's last goal of the season came in a 2–0 win over Palermo. Napoli finished fifth in Serie A. Hamšík scored nine league goals and made nine assists.
Hamšík was also important when Napoli reached the Coppa Italia final. They played against Juventus on 20 May. Hamšík scored a goal that helped Napoli win 2–0. This was the club's first trophy in over 20 years.
Later Years at Napoli
Hamšík played in the 2012 Supercoppa Italiana on 11 August. However, Napoli lost 4–2 to Juventus. In the first league game of the 2012–13 Serie A season, Hamšík scored and assisted a goal. Napoli won 3–0 against Palermo. On 6 January 2013, he played his 200th Serie A game. This was in a 4–1 win against Roma. Hamšík played in every Serie A game that season. He scored 11 goals and made 14 assists. Napoli finished second behind Juventus.
On 10 August 2013, Hamšík signed a contract extension until 2018. In the first game of the 2013–14 Serie A season, he scored two goals. Napoli won 3–0 against Bologna. He scored two more goals in their next game, a 4–2 win over Chievo.
After Paolo Cannavaro left in January 2014, Hamšík became Napoli's new captain. On 27 April 2014, he played his 300th game for Napoli. On 3 May 2014, he played in the 2014 Coppa Italia Final. Napoli won 3–1 against Fiorentina.
On 27 August 2014, Hamšík scored his first goal of the 2014–15 season. This was in a Champions League play-off game. On 20 October, he scored against his old club Slovan Bratislava in the Europa League. This was his 40th game for Napoli in European competitions. He became the club's record holder for European appearances.
On 22 December, Hamšík lifted the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana trophy as captain. Napoli beat Juventus on penalties after a 2–2 draw. On 3 May, he scored his 90th goal for Napoli in a 3–0 win over Milan.
Under new manager Maurizio Sarri, Hamšík played as a central midfielder in the 2015–16 season. He said this was his favorite position. On 23 August 2015, he scored in the first game of the Serie A season. On 17 September, he scored in a 5–0 win over Club Brugge in the Europa League. He played his 300th Serie A game on 6 January 2016, scoring against Torino.
On 6 August 2016, Napoli announced Hamšík signed a new four-year deal. On 24 September, he scored his 100th goal for the club. This was in a 2–0 win over Chievo.
On 16 December 2017, Hamšík scored his 115th goal for Napoli. This made him equal with Diego Maradona as the club's all-time top scorer. One week later, he scored his 116th goal, becoming Napoli's top goalscorer. This was in a 3–2 win against Sampdoria. On 6 May 2018, he scored his 100th goal in Serie A. All of these goals were with Napoli.
On 23 September 2018, Hamšík played his 400th Serie A game. On 28 October, he played his 511th game for Napoli. This made him equal with Giuseppe Bruscolotti for the most appearances for the club. On 6 November, he played his 512th game, setting a new record.
Moving to China and Sweden
On 14 February 2019, Hamšík joined the Chinese club Dalian Professional. He had spent eleven and a half years with Napoli. On 3 March, he played his first game for Dalian. In 2020, it was reported he earned about €200,000 per week.
On 8 March 2021, he signed with the Swedish club IFK Göteborg. He wanted to play more games before UEFA Euro 2020. He played his first game for Göteborg on 19 April. He scored his only goal for the club on 17 May. It was a spectacular shot that won goal of the season in Sweden.
Playing in Turkey and Retirement
On 8 June 2021, it was announced he would join the Turkish club Trabzonspor. He signed a two-year contract. Hamšík scored in his first game for Trabzonspor on 16 August.
On 1 June 2023, Hamšík announced he would retire from football at the end of the season. He said goodbye to his club fans in the last home game of the Turkish league.
Marek Hamšík's International Career
Hamšík played for Slovakia at younger levels. He played in the UEFA European Under-17 and Under-19 Championships. He also played for the Slovakia national U21 team.
Hamšík was a regular player for the Slovakia national team. He played his first game on 7 February 2007 against Poland. He became a key attacking player for the national team. He usually played as an attacking midfielder. Hamšík captained his country in their first ever FIFA World Cup in South Africa in 2010. Slovakia reached the first knockout stage. They even beat the world champions Italy 3–2. Slovakia was later beaten by the Netherlands.
Hamšík also helped his country qualify for Euro 2016 for the first time. He was Slovakia's top scorer in the qualifiers. At the tournament, Slovakia lost 2–1 to Wales. Hamšík almost scored early in that game. In Slovakia's second game, against Russia, Hamšík set up a goal and then scored one himself. Slovakia won 2–1. Slovakia moved to the second round. However, they were knocked out by Germany after a 3–0 loss.
On 5 October 2017, Hamšík played his 100th game for Slovakia. This was in a 0–1 loss to Scotland.
On 13 October 2018, Hamšík played his 108th international game. This made him Slovakia's most capped player ever. He scored his 22nd goal for his country in that game. In March 2019, Hamšík became the captain of the national team again.
Retirement from International Football
In May 2022, Hamšík announced he was retiring from international football. He had played 135 games and scored 26 goals. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family. He also wanted to play one last farewell match at home.
Farewell Match
Hamšík's farewell match was on 20 November 2022. It was a friendly game against Chile. He captained the team during the match. He played almost the entire game, being replaced in the 89th minute. The crowd gave him a huge cheer as he left the field. He was very emotional. Fans chanted his name and held up banners. His teammates gave him a special send-off after the game.
After the match, Hamšík said he might return to the national team in a coaching role in the future.
Brief Return
In June 2023, Hamšík was called back to the national team. This was because many midfielders were injured. He played in two wins against Iceland and Liechtenstein. This brought his total games for the national team to 138. After his final retirement from playing, Hamšík joined the Slovakia national team as a team manager.
Marek Hamšík's Playing Style
Hamšík was known as a quick, energetic, and hard-working midfielder. He could play in many attacking positions. He played as a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder, or even a winger. He was good at striking the ball with both feet. He was known for scoring goals and creating chances for his teammates. He often dropped back to help build up plays. This was thanks to his vision and passing skills.
He was a talented and skilled player. Besides his football abilities, he was also known for his leadership and stamina. He was smart about finding open spaces on the field. He also ran tirelessly during games. He could also play deeper in midfield or in a box-to-box role. This was because of his passing and tactical intelligence. He was also good at taking free kicks and penalty kicks. His coach, Francesco Calzona, called him an elegant and quiet leader.
Managerial Career
In the summer of 2023, Hamšík joined Francesco Calzona's coaching team for the Slovak national team. When Calzona became the manager of SSC Napoli in February 2024, he offered Hamšík a coaching job there. Hamšík decided to stay with the national team. He also wanted to focus on his private football academy and his family.
Personal Life
Marek Hamšík's parents are Richard and Renáta Hamšík. In July 2014, Hamšík married Martina Fraňová. They have three children: two sons named Christian (born 2010) and Lucas (born 2012), and a daughter named Melissa (born 2017). His sister Michaela is married to Walter Gargano, who used to be Hamšík's teammate at Napoli.
Honours
Napoli
- Coppa Italia: 2011–12, 2013–14
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2014
Trabzonspor
- Süper Lig: 2021–22
- Turkish Super Cup: 2022
Individual
- Serie A Young Footballer of the Year: 2008
- Serie A Team of the Year: 2010–11, 2015–16, 2016–17
- Most assists in Serie A: 2012–13, 2014–15
- Peter Dubovský Trophy: 2007, 2008
- Slovak Footballer of the Year: 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2014–15
- Süper Lig Foreign Player the Year: 2021–22
Records
- Napoli all-time appearance holder: 520 appearances
- Slovakia all-time appearance holder: 138 appearances
- Slovakia all-time top scorer: 26 goals
Images for kids
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Hamšík playing for Napoli in 2016
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Hamšík playing for Napoli in 2009
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Hamšík playing in the Europa League against Utrecht in 2010
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Hamšík with Slovakia in 2010
