Hungary’s opening match at Euro 2024 is one their fans would probably prefer to forget after they suffered a 3-1 defeat against Switzerland.
They were greatly outplayed by their opponents and produced few quality moments for their fans to cheer on. But one incident from the game will remain in the memory for a long time.
It came in the 79th minute, when striker Martin Adam was called up from the substitutes’ bench.
As he walked to the touchline to enter the field, spectators across Europe sat up and took notice. For many who watched the game, this would have been the first time seeing Adam, and it was quite a sight.
Standing 6ft 3in and 13 and a half years old, with a shaved head and a big red beard, Adam doesn’t look like your average striker. One fan even described him as “the most centre-back looking striker I’ve ever seen”, while others simply labeled him an “absolute unit”.
Hungarian striker Martin Adam went viral after coming on as a substitute against Switzerland
Fans described him as an “absolute unit,” but some went too far and embarrassed him.
Despite all the frenzy around him, Adam lives a quiet life in South Korea with his wife Gritta (right) and son Konor (center).
Adam has been playing in South Korea for Ulsan HD FC since 2022 after leaving his homeland.
But some comments went too far and went so far as to shame the fat man, with a cruel mockery stating that he must be “hungry for goals.”
The 29-year-old addressed the comments that went viral on social media, insisting he has not done anything out of the ordinary to achieve his current form.
‘Of course, one or two (comments and memes) reach me. I usually laugh a lot,” she said.
‘I was born like this. This is the shape of my body.
‘I can’t say I was this size when I was born, I can’t change that, I can’t change genetics. So yeah, that’s all I can say about that.’
If Adam was hurt by any comment, he didn’t show it and gave a measured response to the frenzy surrounding his appearance.
But what do we really know about the Hungarian striker?
Having spent most of his career in his homeland, Adam now plays football in South Korea after joining Ulsan HD FC in 2022.
He secured his move to Asia after enjoying a prolific 2021-22 season at Hungarian side Paksi, where he scored 31 goals in 32 appearances to finish as the league’s top scorer.
During that campaign, he made his debut for Hungary, and his third cap came against England, as he came on as a late substitute to earn his team a 1–0 victory.
Adam (left) played against England twice in 2022 and was on the winning side on both occasions.
He came off the bench when Hungary beat England 4-0 at Molineux.
Since moving to Korea, he hasn’t been as prolific as he was in Hungary, but he has still been successful.
He appeared off the bench again that same year to play against the Three Lions, and his team won 4-0 at Molineux.
Perhaps the English fans should have noticed this sooner, although there were much bigger problems to worry about that night.
Just a few weeks later, he completed his move to South Korea, where he now lives with his wife, Gritta, and son, Konor.
Adam and Gritta met in elementary school and the childhood sweethearts have remained together ever since.
The couple are now happily married and living a quiet life in Korea, and Adam proves he is a family man by regularly posting photos of himself with his wife and son on Instagram.
The Adam family also enjoys traveling back to Europe, returning to Hungary frequently, while they also enjoyed a trip to snowy Poland during the winter during a break in the Korean football calendar.
On the field, Adam has not been as clinical in front of goal for Ulsan as he was for Paksi, scoring 24 goals in 67 appearances.
But he still won two league titles with the club and celebrated with his family on the pitch after the first, captioning a photo on Instagram “ulsan’s proudest Hungarians”.
In his two years at Ulsan, he won the title twice and celebrated his first on the field with his family. He captioned this image on Instagram “the proudest Hungarians in Ulsan.”
Adam’s son has gone to see his father play for Ulsan on multiple occasions.
Adam brought Konor to the field after the games in Korea
Adam is a family man and visited snowy Poland with his wife and son during the winter.
His son has to go see his father on multiple occasions in Korea along with Gritta, and the family seemingly adjusts to their new surroundings with minimal fuss.
Adam’s exploits in Korea proved enough to keep him on the national team, and last month he received his first call-up to a major tournament.
The opening match did not go to plan for him and his teammates, and they were then beaten 2-0 by hosts Germany on Wednesday, leaving them facing the difficult task of reaching the last 16.
But they still have time to put things right in their final group game against Scotland.
Adam will hope that at the end of the Euros he has given fans something else to remember him by other than his unique appearance.