IN these pages on Tuesday, former Celtic midfielder Lubomir Moravcik gave his assessment on how events will unfold when his home country Slovakia visit Hampden Park this week for a crunch World Cup qualifier.

For him, there was one man who deserves particular attention when Gordon Strachan forms his master plan to send Scotland towards a Russia 2018 play-off spot.

“Marek Hamsík will be the top player on the pitch,” he said. “He is going to be very important to Slovakia. He can score goals with both feet and he can change games. He is absolutely the best player in Slovakia.

Read more: Lubo Moravcik reckons Leigh Griffiths is Scotland's crucial player...but Marek Hamsik will be the main man at Hampden

Once you’ve seen Hamsik, you won’t forget him in a hurry. Sporting an iconic spiky mohawk and tattoo-coated arms, the midfielder has the ability to dominate games, the vision to pick match-winning passes and an eye for goal that has seen him come within one strike of matching a certain Diego Maradona in Napoli's history books.

One of Europe’s best midfielders? If you ask around Naples, where the locals have witnessed the midfielder’s ascendance for 10 years, they will be in no doubt. After all, there is no greater achievement in the southern city than being spoken of in the same breath as the great, almost divine, Maradona.

Hamsik first moved to Italy as a fresh-faced teenager in 2004, making the switch from Slovan Bratislava to Brescia. Three years later, he had impressed enough in Serie B to earn a move to the Stadio San Paolo where his journey really began.

In the 10 years Hamsik has spent with the Azzurri, they have risen from mid-table outsiders to serious title contenders with Champions League aspirations on the side. And while it would be wrong to attribute this turnaround to one player, the Slovakian’s impact cannot be understated.

In 463 appearances, he has scored 114 goals for the club, taking him within one strike of equalling Maradona’s tally and true legend status. The Slovakian has also made the third most appearances for the club and appears well set to top that particular table within the next couple of campaigns.

It has been argued that for Hamsik to be considered as an equal to the famous he needs to equal his feat achieved in the late ‘80s by securing a Scudetto (or two) for the Neapolitans.

Read more: Lubomir Moravcik warns that Slovakia will go for it at Hampden

And it is almost incredible to think that 13 years on from being declared bankrupt, stripped of their name and sent to Serie C1, Napoli are topping the Serie A table with a 100 per cent win record and legitimate hopes of ending Juventus’ domestic dominance. The dream has become a reality.

The fans love Hamsik not only for his creativity, goals and leadership but also for his loyalty. Those who question his talent due to the fact he remains in Naples are wide of the mark – the 30-year-old has had the offers, but turned them down. He revealed that Juventus and AC Milan are among the clubs who have come knocking, but he wasn’t interested.

Hamsik even went as far as to leave super-agent Mino Raiola recently, reportedly because he wanted to secure the Slovakian a move to a bigger club. His new agent explained: “He married Napoli 10 years ago and has never wanted to move. He loves this city and these colours.”

That loyalty and love for the city still burns brightly, even though the midfielder has twice gone through the trauma of being robbed at gunpoint during his time in Campania.

Not that it affected his form. He was so good last season that it got to the point Bologna’s official Twitter account begged coach Maurizio Sarri to substitute the midfielder as he scored a hat-trick in a 7-1 thrashing.

The Napoli captain hasn’t started this season with quite the same dominant impact, with his agent denying the suggestion he was struggling for fitness after being substituted in each of the first six matches.

A good time for Scotland to face him then? Possibly, although a goal and full 90 minutes in the 3-0 win over Cagliari last weekend suggested he was back on track after a momentary dip.

Hamsik has been an influential performer for his country during the World Cup qualifying campaign, playing in a number 10 role in Jan Kozak’s 4-2-3-1 system.

Read more: Lubomir Moravcik makes Scotland slight favourites for Slovakia clash

With two goals and two assists so far on the road to Russia, this is possibly the worst of all times for Strachan to lose Celtic skipper Scott Brown through injury. The tenacious Bhoys midfielder’s attention would be a useful tool to countering the threat of Hamsik, who has the vision and accuracy to punish a Scotland defence that has been open to criticism throughout the campaign.

Hamsik also has the advantage of experience, having helped Slovakia reach the last 16 of last summer’s European Championships. That was his second major finals, after captaining his country to the 2010 World Cup as a 23-year-old, where they stunned holders Italy to reach the knockout stages.

The midfielder is no secret to followers of European football, but one thing is for sure – Strachan will need to ensure he is shut down at Hampden Park if his side are to take a big step towards ending the 19-year wait for a major finals appearance.