Martin Škrtel
Encyclopedia
Martin Škrtel (ˈʃkr̩tɛl; born 15 December 1984) is a Slovak footballer who plays in defence for Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

 and the Slovakia national football team
Slovakia national football team
The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association , the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coach is Vladimír Weiss...

.

Biography

Škrtel was born in Handlová
Handlová
Handlová is a town in the Prievidza District, Trenčín Region in the middle of Slovakia. It is made up of the three parts Handlová, Nová Lehota and Morovno.-Geography:...

 and raised in Ráztočno
Ráztocno
Ráztočno is a village and municipality in Prievidza District in the Trenčín Region of central Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an elevation of 350 metres and covers an area of 17.593 km² . It has a population of about 1237....

 and began playing football at the age of six. Although a competent ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 player, he followed his father's career.
He is the youngest of three children, with an older brother Dušan and sister Marcela.

Škrtel played as left wing or striker until the age of 16 when he was asked to fill in as a centre-back for the Slovak youth team. He agreed even though he had never played that position before.

Trenčín

Škrtel started his professional career at FK AS Trenčín. He played in 45 games for them between 2001 and 2004.

Zenit Saint Petersburg

Škrtel made his debut for Zenit Saint Petersburg in a Russian Cup match on 31 July 2004. He said that the presence of Slovak and Czech players helped him to adjust to the new team. He played 113 times and scored 5 goals for the club.
Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...

, Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

, Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

, and Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...

 were all reported to be interested in his services, but he ended up signing for Liverpool in the January 2008 transfer window
Transfer window
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA...

.

2007-08 season

Škrtel joined Liverpool on 11 January 2008 on a four-and-a-half year contract for a transfer fee of £6.5 million. On completion of the deal, then Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....

 said of Škrtel:

"He is aggressive, quick, is good in the air and I think he's a very good player for the future and also for the present. He is very competitive, but his mentality for me is very good".
He made his league debut against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...

, wearing the number 37 for Liverpool. Benítez has also compared Škrtel to present Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher
James Lee Duncan "Jamie" Carragher is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League side Liverpool...

.

On 26 January 2008, Škrtel played in Liverpool's 4th Round FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

 tie against non-league side Havant & Waterlooville, when he nervously gave away a corner which put Liverpool 1–0 behind, and was also involved in a goal mouth scramble which saw Liverpool go 2–1 down after having equalised, before Liverpool eventually won 5–2. But he put in a solid display in the league game against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

, making several good clearances and interceptions, and was voted Man of the Match by the Liverpool supporters on their official website. Liverpool fans have warmed to Škrtel and he is now considered an integral part of Liverpool's defence after turning in several more solid performances at centre half, especially in both UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 quarter-final legs against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

.

Škrtel was voted Man of the Match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...

 by Liverpool supporters on Liverpoolfc.TV, for his performance in the 1–0 derby win over Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

 at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...

 on 30 March 2008, Škrtel's first ever appearance in a Merseyside derby
Merseyside derby
The Merseyside derby is the name given to any football match contested between Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the city of Liverpool in England...

.

2008-09 season

Škrtel made a bright start to this campaign, starting in all but one Premier League match and displacing out of favour Daniel Agger
Daniel Agger
Daniel Munthe Agger is a Danish footballer who plays for Liverpool and the Denmark national football team. He started his senior career at Danish club Brøndby IF in July 2004, with whom he won the 2005 Danish Superliga championship. The Liverpool fans have created a song for him to the tune of...

 to the bench. He put in a number of strong performances with defensive partner Jamie Carragher against many top teams, notably Manchester United, Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

 and Olympique Marseille. However, on 5 October 2009, Martin suffered a serious knee injury after falling awkwardly when challenging Ched Evans
Ched Evans
Chedwyn Michael "Ched" Evans is a Wales international footballer currently playing as a striker for Sheffield United.Born in St Asaph, Denbighshire Evans was an inexperienced youth striker with Manchester City, when he arrived at Norwich City on loan in 2007...

 late in a game against Manchester City. Liverpool went on to win the game 3-2 but it was later confirmed the central defender had torn the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and would face up to 8 weeks on the sidelines.

2009-10 season

He scored his first goal for Liverpool in a 2–2 draw with Manchester City on 21 November 2009. On 26 February 2010, it was confirmed that he had broken his metatarsal in his right foot while playing in the 3–1 victory over Unirea Urziceni the previous day.
On 18 August 2010, Škrtel signed a two-year contract extension with Liverpool, committing his future to Liverpool until 2014.

2010-11 season

He has played in all of Liverpool's fixtures this season, apart from the UEFA Europa League play-off against Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Trabzon, Turkey. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor won six championships in Turkish Super League. The Club won their first Championship title in 1975 which is also the Club's initiation year...

, the first group game against Steaua Bucaresti and the shock exit from the Carling Cup 3rd round stage, losing to League Two side Northampton Town 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw. Skrtel also played every minute of every Premier League match with Liverpool F.C. He scored his second career goal for Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

 on 28 November, opening the scoring at Tottenham
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...

 at White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....

 on a Right-footed shot after collecting the rebound from his own deflected header, and also scored his first own goal in premier league as Liverpool lost 2-1. On his 26th birthday, he captained Liverpool in the Europa League against FC Utrecht. On 5 January 2011, he started the game against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park
Ewood Park
Ewood Park is a football stadium in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire, and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Street in the summer of 1890. The...

 and completed the full 90 minutes in a 3-1 defeat. On 2 April 2011, he scored a header against West Bromwich Albion, and played the full 90 minutes in a 2-1 defeat at The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns is an all-seater football stadium in West Bromwich, Sandwell, England, with a capacity of 26,484. It has been the home of West Bromwich Albion F.C. since 1900, when it became the sixth ground to be used by the club. The ground was the last Football League ground to be built in the...

. Skrtel had appeared in every minute of the 2010/11 premier league season, playing in all 38 Barclays Premier League games for Liverpool, one of only two out field players to do this, the other being Everton's left-back Leighton Baines
Leighton Baines
Leighton John Baines is an English footballer who plays for Everton and the England national football team.He started his career with Wigan Athletic, with whom he won the Second Division in the 2002–03 season and was a runner-up in the 2004–05 Championship and the 2006 Football League Cup Final....

.

2011-12 season

On 27 August 2011, Škrtel scored a headed goal for Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

 against Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....

 in his first league appearance of the season whilst making his appearance in an unfamiliar right-back position. Later in the season he was sent off at an away match against Tottenham Hotspur, who won the match 4-0. Teammate Charlie Adam
Charlie Adam
Charles Graham "Charlie" Adam is a Scottish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liverpool and the Scotland national football team....

 was also sent off at the same match. Škrtel came under criticism for his recent poor performances against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United despite the fact that he was playing out of position because both right-backs, Martin Kelly
Martin Kelly
Martin Ronald Kelly is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Liverpool as a right back, although he spent most of his Academy career playing as a centre back.-2007–08:...

 and Glen Johnson
Glen Johnson
Glen or Glenn Johnson may refer to:*Glenn Johnson , American football player who played for Green Bay Packers in 1949*Glen Johnson , Jamaican boxer...

 were injured.

International career

Škrtel played international football for Slovakia youth teams, before making his debut in the senior squad
Slovakia national football team
The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association , the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coach is Vladimír Weiss...

 in 2004. Škrtel was selected in Slovakia's squad for the 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...

, the country's first as an independent nation. He played a crucial part in the side's 3-2 win over reigning champions Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

 as he played in every match of their world cup campaign, which saw Slovakia reach the knock-out stages ahead of the Italians.

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 2 September 2006 Tehelné Pole
Tehelné pole
-External links:*...

, Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...

, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

 
1 – 0 6–1 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
2. 7 February 2007 Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, situated midway between the sea and the mountains. , the city, the largest in the province, had 208,896 inhabitants; it is the fifth largest in Andalusia...

, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 
2 – 0 2–2 Friendly
3. 24 March 2007 GSP Stadium, Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...

, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...

 
1 – 2 1–3 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
4. 13 October 2007 Mestský futbalový štadión, Dubnica, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

 
4 – 0 7–0 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
5. 6 September 2008 Tehelné Pole
Tehelné pole
-External links:*...

, Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...

, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

 
1 – 0 2–1 FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifying

Club statistics

Club Performance
Club Season   Russian Premier League
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League , currently called SOGAZ Russian Football Championship due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of Russian football. There are 16 teams in the competition...

--- --- Europe
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....

Other Total
App Goals Assists App Goals Assists App Goals Assists App Goals Assists App Goals Assists App Goals Assists
Zenit Saint Petersburg
FC Zenit Saint Petersburg
Football Club Zenit is a Russian football club from the city of Saint-Petersburg. Founded in 1925 , the club plays in the Russian Premier League...

2004-05 7 0 0 - - - - - - 4 0 0 0 0 0 11 0 0
Zenit Saint Petersburg
FC Zenit Saint Petersburg
Football Club Zenit is a Russian football club from the city of Saint-Petersburg. Founded in 1925 , the club plays in the Russian Premier League...

2005–06 18 1 0 - - - - - - 9 0 0 0 0 0 27 1 0
Zenit Saint Petersburg
FC Zenit Saint Petersburg
Football Club Zenit is a Russian football club from the city of Saint-Petersburg. Founded in 1925 , the club plays in the Russian Premier League...

2006–07 26 1 0 - - - - - - 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 1 0
Zenit Saint Petersburg
FC Zenit Saint Petersburg
Football Club Zenit is a Russian football club from the city of Saint-Petersburg. Founded in 1925 , the club plays in the Russian Premier League...

2007–08 23 1 0 - - - - - - 5 0 0 0 0 0 28 1 0
Club Total 4 74 3 0 - - - - - - 18 0 0 0 0 0 92 3 0
Club Season   Premier League FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

Europe
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....

Other Total
App Goals Assists App Goals Assists App Goals Assists App Goals Assists App Goals Assists App Goals Assists
Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

2007–08 14 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 20 0 0
Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

2008–09 21 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 30 0 2
Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

2009–10 19 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 29 1 0
Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

2010–11
2010–11 Premier League
The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011...

38 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 49 2 1
Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

2011–12
2011–12 Premier League
The 2011–12 Premier League is the twentieth season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2011–12 fixtures were announced on 17 June 2011 at 9:00 BST. The season began on 13 August 2011 and is due to end on 13 May 2012...

11 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 1 0
Club Total 5 103 4 3 6 0 0 5 0 0 28 0 0 0 0 0 142 4 3
Total 9 177 7 3 6 0 0 5 0 0 46 0 0 0 0 0 234 7 3
Last updated 1 October 2011 (UTC)

Honours

  • Youth champion of Slovakia: 2001


Zenit St Petersburg
  • Russian Premier League
    Russian Premier League
    The Russian Premier League , currently called SOGAZ Russian Football Championship due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of Russian football. There are 16 teams in the competition...

    : 2007
    Russian Premier League 2007
    Russian Premier League 2007 was the 16th official season of Rosgosstrakh Russian Football Championship, and 6th under the current Russian Premier League name. The season started with the match between Luch-Energia and Moskva in Vladivostok on Saturday, 10 March 2007, at 18:00 local time...



Individual
  • Slovak Footballer of the Year
    Slovak Footballer of the Year
    Slovak Footballer of the Year an annual title awarded to the best Slovak football player of the year.*1993: Peter Dubovský*1994: Vladimír Kinder*1995: Dušan Tittel*1996: Dušan Tittel*1997: Dušan Tittel*1998: Jozef Majoroš*1999: Vladimír Labant...

    : 2007, 2008, Runner-up in 2006
  • List of 33 best players of Russian Premier League: 3rd place as a Left Central Defender in 2006

External links

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