Hamsik to spearhead Slovakia at Euro 2020

Midfielder Marek Hamsik and his distinctive mohawk hairstyle will feature at Euro 2020 as he was included in Slovakia coach Stefan Tarkovic’s 26-man squad on Wednesday.

It will be a third performance at a major tournament for Slovakia and Hamsik—the 33-year-old former Napoli player who has been the standout Slovak player of the last decade—after the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2016.

In Group E, Slovakia face Poland on June 14 and Sweden on June 18, both in St Petersburg, before moving to Seville to take on Spain on June 23.

Tarkovic’s squad will be captained by Hertha Berlin defender Peter Pekarik.

It also comprises Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar and midfielder Stanislav Lobotka of Napoli, a team where Hamsik himself spent most of his career.

“I think this is the best team we have, considering the current situation and our opponents,” Tarkovic said at a press conference broadcast on Facebook.

The team is at a training camp in Austria where it drew 1-1 in a friendly with Bulgaria on Tuesday. There was a blow for the Slovaks when they lost 20-year-old striker David Strelec of Slovan Bratislava to a hamstring injury.

“The training camp and the game have shown us an awful lot,” said Tarkovic.

Slovakia face Austria in their last pre-Euro friendly in Vienna on June 6.

The team will then spend two days in Slovakia before moving to St Petersburg.

The squad:

Goalkeepers: Martin Dubravka (Newcastle/ENG), Dusan Kuciak (Gdansk/POL), Marek Rodak (Fulham/ENG)

Defenders: David Hancko (Sparta Prague/CZE), Tomas Hubocan (Omonia Nicosia/CYP), Martin Koscelnik (Slovan Liberec/CZE), Peter Pekarik (Hertha Berlin/GER), Lubomir Satka (Lech Poznan/POL), Milan Skriniar (Inter/ITA), Martin Valjent (Mallorca/ESP), Denis Vavro (Huesca/ESP).

Midfielders: Laszlo Benes (Augsburg/GER), Ondrej Duda (Cologne/GER), Jan Gregus (Minnesota United/USA), Marek Hamsik (IFK Gothenburg/SWE), Lukas Haraslin (Sassuolo/ITA), Jakub Hromada (Slavia Prague/CZE), Patrik Hrosovsky (Genk/BEL), Juraj Kucka (Parma/ITA), Stanislav Lobotka (Napoli/ITA), Robert Mak (Ferencvaros/HUN), Tomas Suslov (Groningen/NED), Vladimir Weiss (Slovan Bratislava).

Forwards: Robert Bozenik (Feyenoord/NED), Michal Duris (Omonia Nicosia/CYP), Ivan Schranz (Jablonec/CZE).