Slovakia captain Marek Hamšík has followed in the footsteps of peers such as Liverpool FC defender Martin Škrtel by being named his country's player of the year for 2009.Hamšík, captain of the national side at the age of 22, celebrated his success at a ceremony in Zilina on Monday. "After our team advanced to the FIFA World Cup in South Africa and my son's birth, this is the third great moment for me in the last few months," he said. "I just hope these great moments continue. Of course, I am happy – I am just 22."
Hamšík's predecessor as Slovakia's No1 footballer, Škrtel, dropped to fourth in the vote, which is organised by the Pravda newspaper in cooperation with the Slovak Football Association (SFZ). VfL Bochum 1848 forward Stanislav Šesták was runner-up, with Legia Warszawa goalkeeper Ján Mucha completing the top three.
In addition to skippering Slovakia to the World Cup this summer, Hamšík has scored 27 goals in 95 games since joining Napoli from Brescia Calcio in the summer of 2007. Slovakia continue their preparations for South Africa with a friendly against Norway in Zilina on Wednesday.
Hamšík heralded as Slovakia's finest
