Marek Hamsik scored the 115th goal of his Napoli career on Saturday.
Marek Hamsik equalled Diego Maradona's club record with his 115th goal for Napoli on Saturday.
Hamsik matched the Argentine legend's tally by scoring after 30 minutes in Napoli's 3-1 win at Torino, a result that put Napoli back at the top of Serie A.
Dries Mertens controlled the ball in the area and picked out Hamsik, who volleyed into the top right corner for Napoli's third goal.
"It's a good accomplishment, especially as a midfielder, 115 goals is a good number," Hamsik said.
"We are really happy with the performance, because the game could easily have ended with more goals. We're back to the side we were and that is very important."
It has taken the Slovenia midfielder 11 seasons and 477 appearances to reach that tally. Maradona, set that mark in 259 games in seven seasons with Napoli as a forward, while leading the club to their only two Serie A titles in 1987 and 1990.
But Hamsik wasn't getting carried away with Napoli's place atop the table, which sees them two points clear of Inter Milan and three above Juventus, who play at Bologna on Sunday.
"I don't know if it's an advantage to be top of the table, but it can help us remember our strength and realise we've got to fight to the end," he said.
Hamsik also earned praise from his coach, Maurizio Sarri, who Mediaset Premium: "We are talking about a player of an extraordinary level.
"If someone like him plays 45 games of an inferior level, you just have to accept it and stick by him with the certainty he'll pay you back eventually. He'd been improving for the past few matches."
Follow @ESPNFC on Twitter to keep up with the latest football updates.
Comments
Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on ESPN's media platforms. Learn more.
Source: espn.co.uk