Hungarian footballer Martin Adam was in the limelight after taking the field for his team at UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany.
Adam made a cameo appearance in Hungary’s 1-3 loss to Switzerland in their opening Group A at the 2024 European Championship.
However, it wasn’t his on-field performance that made him a hot talking point with the internet more interested in his physical appearance.
Standing tall at six feet and three inches and weighing around 86 kilograms, it’s safe to say that Adam isn’t what one would imagine when picturing a modern day footballer in the 21st century.
Gone are the days when a football player could neglect their body and still take to the field irrespective of whether they were fit enough to play.
In contemporary football, fitness is the foundation for success for elite athletes and football is no different.
So when Martin Adam went viral on social media, mainly for his body build and stature, one can imagine the memes and trolling that he was subjected to, given the eyes of the world were on the grand stage that is the Euros.
While addressing the internet’s verdict on his stature, Adam told a news conference: "The posts? Of course, one or two get to me, I usually have a laugh about it."
"I was born this way, I have this body shape. I'm not saying that I was this big when I was born, but I have a basic physique. Genetics -- I can't change that,” he added.
True to himself and level-headed in his response, Adam seems to have handled the situation in a positive and respectful manner and it is no surprise considering his football career itself hasn’t been straightforward by any means.
Like his body type, his career trajectory in football is unconventional to put things mildly and with that in mind, let’s dive deeper into who is Martin Adam?
Who is Martin Adam?
Martin Adam currently plies his trade at Ulsan Hyundai Football Club in the K League 1, the top tier for football in South Korea. He has won K League 1 twice with the club in 2022 and 2023.
Adam, who is nicknamed the ‘Hungarian Viking’ due to his shaved head and large beard, will be hoping to make the most of his new-found popularity on the internet by producing top performances on the pitch.
Born in Budapest, Hungary on November 6, 1994, Adam made his senior debut with Vasas FC, a team in the second division of Hungarian Football, in 2013.
He spent six years there making more than 100 appearances and scored 27 goals before moving on to Kaposvari Rakoczi FC in the first-division in 2019.
Adam played 43 matches for the Kaposvari - a club making its first appearance in the first division in five years - and found the target on 13 occasions. After a single season, he was signed by Paksi FC, another first division team in Hungary.
At Paksi, the big striker had 39 goals in two seasons and even finished as the top goal-scorer in the Hungarian top tier in the 2021-22 season.
In July 2022, Adam was signed by his current club in South Korea, making his debut in a league outside his home nation Hungary.
As mentioned, Ulsan Hyundai won back-to-back K League 1 titles in 2022 and 2023 after Adam was signed. He has scored 17 goals from 54 appearances for the Korean club.
Martin Adam made his international debut with Hungary in 2022 and scored his first goal in March 2023 in a friendly game against Estonia. He has three goals to his name from 23 games for Hungary.
In UEFA EURO 2024, Hungary are placed in Group A alongside host Germany, Switzerland and Scotland.
With a couple of games still to play, it will be interesting to see whether Adam can once again grab the attention of the internet courtesy of his performances on the pitch instead of his body stature.
Photo Credit: Unsplash
