The word legend is bounded around with far too much frequency these days. However, in the case of Marek Hamsik and Napoli, it is undoubtedly applicable.
A 12-year love affair with Partenopei has come to an end, as he has moved to Chinese side Dalian Yifang, and it draws to a close a wonderful spell at the club as well as a rare piece of footballing loyalty.
The 31-year-old was signed from Brescia back in 2007 and has gone on to become the club’s all-time record goalscorer with 121 goals, surpassing a certain Diego Maradona, whilst also becoming the leading appearance maker (520 in all competitions). When Napoli acquired him over a decade ago, no one could have imagined he would go on to secure such achievements.
Signed after the side had just secured promotion back to the top flight, the then 19-year-old was brought in to bolster the midfield after impressing for Brescia in Serie B. And bolster it he did.
After solidifying himself as a key player in the squad in his formative years with the club, he went on to elevate his status amongst the fanbase by scoring the second goal in a 2-0 victory over Juventus in the 2012 Coppa Italia final: the club’s first cup win in 25 years. Two years later, the Partenopei repeated the feat by beating Fiorentina 3-1. This time Hamsik held aloft the trophy as captain.
Unfortunately for him, his time with the club coincided with a dominant Inter side in the early years, before Juventus’ unprecedented spell of domestic supremacy since, so his trophy haul is reasonably scant: just the two Coppa Italia wins and a Supercoppa Italiana.
Yet, despite the lack of silverware, Hamsik played a pivotal role in re-establishing the club as one of the top teams in the country, restoring them to European football in the process, and the fans will always remember him for this.
Interestingly, since his debut in 2007, the Slovakian has had more assists (80) than any other player in the Serie A: the next best being Antonio Cassano with 65. A real statement of his quality given some of the talented players that have graced the league throughout that period.
Amidst the relative success on the field, Hamsik had to deal with issues off it. Over the course of his career with the side he has been a victim of numerous robberies, which occur with alarming frequency in Naples. Reportedly, he has been held up at gunpoint in traffic, not once, but twice, and his pregnant wife also had her car stolen from her in similar circumstances.
Now, this would be reasonable grounds for any player to want to push through a move elsewhere. Earn more money, have greater protection, feel a lot safer, and he hasn’t been short of suitors. Throughout his time at the club he has been linked with moves to the likes of AC Milan, Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea, the list goes on.
Yet, in spite of all this, Hamsik stayed – such was his love for the club.
He endeared himself further to the Neapolitan supporters when, in 2015, he turned down a move to Juventus categorically stating he would never switch allegiances to such a bitter rival (take note Gonzalo Higuain).
Even now, supposedly Borussia Dortmund made a late swoop for him, but he rejected it as he did not wish to play for another European side other than Napoli.
Undeniably, he would’ve wished to have secured a Scudetto in his time with the club, which would’ve have added to his iconic status even further: the club coming so close under Maurizio Sarri. But the fact that he hasn’t doesn’t detract from what he has done.
In a time where loyalty is a rare commodity in football, he stuck with Napoli, even in the difficult moments. Sometimes, there is more to football than trophies…
