Hungary’s opening match at Euro 2024 is one their fans would probably rather forget after beating Switzerland 3-1.
They were largely outplayed by their opponents and produced few moments of quality for their supporters to cheer about. But one incident from the game will live long in the memory.
It came in the 79th minute, when striker Martin Adam was summoned from the substitutes’ bench.
As he made his way to the sidelines to take the field, viewers from all over Europe sat up and took notice. For many watching the match, this would have been the first time they had ever seen Adam, and it was quite a sight.
At 6ft 10in tall, 13.5m tall, with a shaved head and a big ginger beard, Adam doesn’t look like an ordinary striker. One fan even described him as ‘the most centre-back looking striker I have ever seen’, while others simply called 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 shamed him
Despite all the frenzy around him, Adam lives a quiet life in South Korea with his wife Gritta (right) and their son Konor (center)
Adam has been playing in South Korea for Ulsan HD FC since 2022 after leaving his home country
But some comments went too far and amounted to fat-shaming, with one cruel joke claiming he was ‘hungry for goals’.
The 29-year-old responded to the comments after going viral on social media, insisting he hasn’t done anything out of the ordinary to achieve his current form.
‘Of course one or two [comments and memes] come back to me. I usually have a good laugh,” he said.
‘I was born this way. This is my body shape.
‘I can’t say I was that big when I was born, I can’t change that, I can’t change genetics. So yeah, that’s all I can say about it.’
If Adam was hurt by any comments, he didn’t show it as he gave a measured response to the madness surrounding his appearance.
But what do we actually know about the Hungarian attacker?
After spending most of his career in his home country, Adam now plays football in South Korea after joining Ulsan HD FC in 2022.
He secured his move to Asia after a productive 2021-22 season with Hungarian side Paksi, where he scored 31 times in 32 appearances and finished as the league’s top scorer.
During that season he made his Hungary debut, and his third cap came against England, when he came on as a late substitute and secured a 1–0 win for his side.
Adam (left) played against England twice in 2022 and was on the winning side both times
He came off the bench as Hungary beat England 4-0 at Molineux
Since moving to Korea, he hasn’t been as productive as he was in Hungary, but he’s still had success
Later that year he appeared again from the bench to play against the Three Lions, with his team winning 4–0 at Molineux.
Perhaps the England fans should have noticed him sooner, although there were much bigger issues to worry about that night.
Just weeks later, he completed his move to South Korea, where he now lives with his wife Gritta and their son Konor.
Adam and Gritta met in elementary school and the childhood sweethearts have stayed together ever since.
The couple are now happily married and living a quiet life in Korea, with Adam proving himself to be 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 and regularly returns to Hungary, while they also enjoyed a trip to snowy Poland during the winter during a break in the Korean football schedule.
On the pitch, Adam was not 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 the first with his family on the pitch, captioning a photo on Instagram ‘the proudest Hungarians in Ulsan’.
In his two years at Ulsan he has won the title twice and celebrated the first on the pitch with his family. He captioned this photo on Instagram with “the proudest Hungarians in Ulsan”
Adam’s son has seen his father play for Ulsan several times
Adam brought Konor onto the field after games in Korea
Adam is a family man and visited snowy Poland with his wife and son this winter
His son and Gritta have to visit his father in Korea several times, with the family seemingly settling into their new environment with minimal fuss.
Adam’s performances in Korea proved enough to keep him on the national team, and last month he was called up to a major tournament for the first time.
The opening match did not go to plan for him and his teammates, after which they were defeated 2-0 by hosts Germany on Wednesday, leaving them with a tough task to reach the round of 16.
But they still have time to put things right in their final group match against Scotland.
Adam will hope that by the end of the European Championship he has given fans something to remember him by other than his unique appearance.