Marek Hamšík

50 Top Soccer Player their trade today, based on a combination of current form, potential and overall ability.  Ranking  determined by a panel of contributors to ESPN's soccer.

Marek Hamšík   Rank Player 43

Profile
Name                   Marek Hamšík         
Birth date             July 27, 1987
Birth place            Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia
Height                  1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position    Attacking Midfielder
Current club         Napoli
Number               17


Biography
Marek Hamšík is a Slovak football midfielder who currently plays for Serie A club S.S.C. Napoli and captains the Slovakia national team.

Although Hamsik grew up in Banska Bystrica, he never played for their major team Dukla Banská Bystrica. He instead began playing for small youth team Jupie Podlavice.In 2002 he signed with a major Slovak team Slovan Bratislava. He played once for the Slovan A-team and scored a goal.

Hamsik had appeared in 16 Serie A games, contributing with both five goals and five assists. In their European campaign, Hamsik appeared in all six group stage matches and contributed with two goals and an assist. Following the winter break, Hamšík provided an assist for Edinson Cavani's goal and netted Napoli's third goal in their 3–1 defeat of US Palermo on 8 January 2012.

Scouting thumbnail
Modern-day box-to-box midfielder who times his late runs into the box to maximum effort. Often deployed as a deep-lying playmaker at the international level, Hamsik is a complete midfielder who can also score goals.