Marek Hamsik has equalled Diego Armando Maradona’s all-time record of 115 goals in the Napoli jersey.
The Slovakia international found the net in today’s Serie A meeting with Torino and put his name in the history books.
While it has taken the 30-year-old 477 competitive appearances to reach this total, it’s still a remarkable achievement for a midfielder.
The captain, nicknamed Marekiaro after the Marechiaro area of the city, made his debut in the Partenopei shirt during a 2-0 defeat to Cagliari on August 26, 2007.
Marek Hamsik has equalled Diego Armando Maradona’s all-time record of 115 goals in the Napoli jersey.
The Slovakia international found the net in today’s Serie A meeting with Torino and put his name in the history books.
While it has taken the 30-year-old 477 competitive appearances to reach this total, it’s still a remarkable achievement for a midfielder.
The captain, nicknamed Marekiaro after the Marechiaro area of the city, made his debut in the Partenopei shirt during a 2-0 defeat to Cagliari on August 26, 2007.
His first goal in this long run was in a 2-0 victory over Sampdoria on September 16, 2007.
Hamsik had spoken to La Repubblica newspaper about the record only this weekend.
“Maradona’s record doesn’t weigh on me: if it arrives against Torino today, that is an extra satisfaction, but nothing more. It’s not as if I could ever overcome Diego, as he came from another planet.
“I look back at my career path and I am proud, as not many people can tie themselves to the same team for life, especially in modern football. In my case, it was simple: Napoli is the right place for me and I wanted it to remain that way for an indeterminate length of time.
“I never had any regrets, as I made my choice and am going through the career that I wanted and built for myself. I did it with pride. Light blue was the colour of my first club, Slovan Bratislava, of the Slovak national team and also of Napoli. It was destiny.
“This jersey has become my second skin, it gratifies me to be considered a symbol. My mission will only be accomplished when we win the Scudetto. That has to be the finishing line for my long story with Napoli. Then I can turn the page and dedicate some time to my football school, which I already opened in Slovakia.”