Napoli’s most impressive player is not dribbling prodigy Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, or top scorer Victor Osimhen. Neither is powerhouse Min-jae Kim, or the unpassable rock Alex Meret. For club icon Marek Hamsik, Stanislav Lobotka is the most important player in Napoli’s current season. And the fact that they are compatriots has nothing to do with that.
Hamsik surprisingly chooses compatriot as the best player in Napoli’s dream season
It may already be the time for Napoli in the next round of the competition: the first Scudetto since 1990. In a wonderful season, the formation from Naples has made a big gap and the dream of many Neapolitans has come true. The local newspaper Il Mattino interviewed Hamsik towards the conclusion of the title fight in Italy and he explained the importance of the upcoming trophy.
“I am so proud and happy. I immediately think of all those Neapolitans who asked me every year to win the title. And now it’s finally happening. We’ve been so close to it for so long. I know the people of Naples and the fans of Napoli. Every time I met people, they talked about winning Serie A. A dream come true for everyone, from the team to the management, the club doctors and the turf masters of Castel Volturno (Napoli’s training complex). It’s a victory for all those people,” the Trabzonspor midfielder said.
So Hamsik chooses Lobotka as his best player of the season. He added, “And not because he’s Slovak like me. His talent, his composure on the ball, his qualities have enabled Napoli to take the next step.” Hamsik had already predicted that the collaboration between Napoli and the former Ajax player would be a success. The club inquired with him about the deal with Lobotka. “I told them not to hesitate because if they got him their central midfield problem for the next ten years would be solved. Luckily they listened to me,” the Slovak revealed.
Hamsik himself does not experience the title up close. He left Naples in 2019 with two Coppa Italias and an Italian Super Cup to his name. He played in China and Sweden before settling for Trabzonspor in Turkey in 2021.
