Mohawk Hamsik puts Slovakia in big league

Bratislava - At 28, the Napoli and Slovakia midfielder is in his prime, having led his national team to the last-16 of Euro 2016 - and scoring one of the goals of the tournament on the way

His first tattoo comprised three Chinese signs - energy, fairness, talent. Marek Hamsik has gone a long way since getting it at 16, propelled by its three attributes.
At 28, the Napoli and Slovakia midfielder is in his prime, having led his national team to the last-16 of Euro 2016 - and scoring one of the goals of the tournament on the way.
Now the man with the Mad Max-style Mohawk haircut and gallery of tattoos will face one of the challenges of the tournament when Slovakia play Germany on Sunday.
In Slovakia's group game against Russia, Hamsik blasted the ball across the box over keeper Igor Akinfeev and off the post into the net to give his team a 2-0 lead.
Slovakia won 2-1 and, combined with a 2-1 loss to Wales and a goalless draw with England, advanced on four points at its first Euro tournament ever.
"I don't know if it was my most beautiful one but it was definitely one of those," Hamsik beamed after the game.
"In any case, it was very important."
"The adrenaline rush was extreme. I scored into a goal behind which I saw thousands of our fans," added Hamsik, who has scored 19 times in 89 internationals.
Hamsik fans abound in Naples and in Slovakia - kids copy his spiky haircut, while an Italian singer wrote a song about him, a Gangnam Style cover called 'Marekiano Style' which has gone viral on Youtube. Last season, Napoli finished second behind Juventus, just like three years earlier. Their two Italian titles date back to the time when Diego Maradona was the star.
At the 2010 World Cup, Hamsik captained the Slovakia team that stunned Italy 3-2 in the group to make it to the last-16 where they lost to the Netherlands.
Naples have become an ideal home for the man with a red Ferrari and a passion for cars, watches and fashion - illustrated by his tattoos, earrings, round glasses and the trademark mohawk.
Married to former handballer Martina, with whom he has sons Christian and Lucas, Hamsik has brought a part of his family to Italy - his sister Michaela is married to teammate Walter Gargano.
Media have linked Hamsik to AC Milan, Chelsea, Manchester United or Real Madrid, but the man in the red Ferrari stays calm, hoping for success with his current club.
"When we won the Italian Cup, more than 100,000 people were waiting for us, squares were full, the entire city lived this achievement." "I can't imagine what would happen if we won the title - maybe Vesuvius would go off again," said the five-time Slovak footballer of the year.