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Martin Škrtel

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Martin Škrtel
Personal information
Full name Martin Škrtel
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) centre back
Team information
Current team
 Liverpool
Number 37
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16 September, 2008

Martin Škrtel (pronounced: Shkrtel) (born December 15, 1984 in Handlová, Czechoslovakia, now Slovakia) is a Slovak international football defender who plays for English Premier League club Liverpool.[1][2]

Biography

Škrtel began playing football at the age of six;[3] while a competent ice hockey player, he followed his father's career[4] and chose to play football for F.C. Prievidza, before signing for FK AS Trenčín.[5]

He tried to play in many different positions and finally chose defence when he was sixteen.

Trenčín

Škrtel started his professional career at FK AS Trenčín. He played in 45 games for them between 2001 and 2004.[3]

Zenit Saint Petersburg

Škrtel made his debut for Zenit in a Russian Cup match on 31 July 2004. He said that the presence of Slovak and Czech players essentially helped him to adjust to the new team.[4] He played 113 times and scored five goals for the club.[4] Valencia, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, and Newcastle United were all reported to be interested in his services,[6] but he ended up signing for Liverpool in the January 2008 transfer window.[1][2][7][8][9]

Liverpool

Škrtel signed for Liverpool on 11 January 2008 on a four-and-a-half year contract for £6.5 million. Upon completion of the deal, Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez 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 also compared Škrtel to present Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.[1][2] He made his league debut against Aston Villa and wears the number 37 for Liverpool.

On 26 January 2008 Škrtel was given his full Liverpool debut in Liverpool's 4th Round FA Cup tie against non-league Havant & Waterlooville, when he nervously gave away a corner which put Liverpool 1-0 behind, as well as a goal mouth scramble which saw Liverpool go 2-1 down after having equalised. But he put in a solid display in the league game against Chelsea, making several good clearances and interceptions, and was voted Man of the Match by the Liverpool supporters on their official website. Liverpool fans have begun to warm to Škrtel since his man of the match performance and he is now considered an integral part of Liverpool's future after turning in several more solid performances at centre half, especially in both UEFA Champions League quarter-final legs against Arsenal FC.

Škrtel was voted Man of the Match by Liverpool supporters on Liverpoolfc.TV, for his performance in the 1-0 derby win over Everton at Anfield on March 30, 2008, Škrtel's first ever appearance in a Merseyside derby.

He suffered an injury in Liverpool's 3-2 victory against Man City in the City of Manchester Stadium. The extent of the injury is not yet known.

International career

Škrtel played international football for Slovakia youth teams.[3] In 2004, he made his debut in the Slovakia national football team. As of September 2008, Škrtel has played 27 times for Slovakia and has scored five goals.[10]

Honours

  • Youth champion of Slovakia: 2001[4]

Zenit St Petersburg

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c Hunter, Steve (2008-01-11). "Skrtel signs until 2012". Liverpool FC. Retrieved 2008-01-11. Liverpool have today confirmed the signing of Slovakian international defender Martin Skrtel from Zenit St Petersberg on a four and a half year contract. The established centre half has 15 international caps for his country and Reds boss Rafael Benitez is predicting a bright Anfield future for the 23-year-old. "I think he is a player maybe not many people know about but he played against Everton for Zenit St Petersberg, and he is a centre half that knows the English style," said Benitez. "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. Watching him in some games his mentality is similar to Carra so I think it's very positive for the team. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b c "Liverpool confirm Skrtel signing". London: BBC Sport. 2008-01-11. Retrieved 2008-01-11. Liverpool have confirmed the signing of Slovakian international defender Martin Skrtel from Zenit St Petersburg on a four-and-a-half-year contract. The established centre-half has 15 caps for his country and Reds boss Rafael Benitez is predicting a bright future for the 23-year-old. Skrtel becomes the most expensive defender in Liverpool's history with the fee thought to be around £6m. "He is aggressive, quick and good in the air," said Rafael Benítez. "I think he's a very good player for the future and also for the present," Benitez added on the Liverpool website. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ a b c "Официальный сайт ФК "Зенит" / Мартин Шкртел" (in Russian). FC Zenit Official Website. Retrieved 2008-01-28. Начал заниматься футболом с 6 лет. Воспитанник ФК «Превизда». ... Выступал за юношескую и молодёжную сборные Словакии. ... Карьера игрока. 2001 - 2004 : ФК «Тренчин», Словакия (45 матчей).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  4. ^ a b c d "The Official Zenit FC Website / First Team / Defenders / Martin Skrtel". FC Zenit Saint Petersburg. Retrieved 2008-01-08. Played for Slovakian teams FC Previdza and FC Trencin. From 2004 Škrtel's been playing for FC Zenit. He made his debut in the Russian Cup match on 31 July, 2004 against FC Irtysh … Played in official matches for Zenit — 113, goals scored — 5. ... Škrtel could have become a hockey player but he has chosen football, inspired by his father's football career. Škrtel claims that the presence of Slovak and Czech players was very important for him to accustom himself to the new team. Martin has tried several positions on the pitch: midfielder, attacker and chose defense aged 16.
  5. ^ Hassall, Paul (2008-01-11). "10 things you didn't know about our new boy". Liverpool FC. Retrieved 2008-01-11. Skrtel was a competent hockey player and could have followed a career in the sport until his passion for football took over and — fortunately for us — he opted to ply his trade in the world of the beautiful game instead … He rose through the ranks at Slovakian outfit FC Previdza and also played for FC Trencin before leaving his homeland for Zenit in 2004. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "Futbal: Škrtel blízko podpisu s FC Liverpool". sme.sk (in Slovakian). 2008-01-07. Retrieved 2008-01-07. Mladý Slovák čelil v poslednej dobe množstvu zaujímavých ponúk (Valencia, Newcastle, Tottenham, Everton) {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  7. ^ "Liverpool set to seal Skrtel deal". London: BBC Sport. 2008-01-08. Retrieved 2008-01-08. Liverpool are poised to complete a £6m deal for Zenit St Petersburg's Slovakian defender Martin Skrtel. The 23-year-old, capped 15 times by his country, is on Merseyside for a medical and to complete the formalities. … If the move is completed, Skrtel will become the most expensive defender in Liverpool's history. He joined Zenit in 2004 and has made more than 100 appearances in the Russian league. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Barrett, Tony (2008-01-07). "Reds in £6.5m Martin Skrtel swoop". Liverpool Echo. Liverpool. Retrieved 2008-01-07. Liverpool are set to break their transfer record for a defender by paying £6.5m for Slovak international centre back Martin Skrtel. The Zenit St Petersburg star arrived on Merseyside last night ahead of a medical today and the club are confident the deal will be finalised within the next 48 hours {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Barrett, Tony (2008-01-08). "Martin Skrtel to sign after passing medical". Liverpool Echo. Liverpool. Retrieved 2008-01-08. Martin Sktrel has moved a step closer to becoming the most expensive defender in Liverpool history after passing his medical. A club record £6.5m fee has been agreed with Skrtel's club, Zenit St Petersburg, and personal terms have been agreed with the player. Skrtel is now waiting for the deal to be rubber stamped by Liverpool's owners. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Mamrud, Roberto (2007-12-17). "Slovakia — Record International Players". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 2008-01-16. Martin SKRTEL * 2004–2007 22 4 {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ http://www.soccerpunter.com/soccer-statistics/Russia/Russia-Premier-League-2007-2008
  12. ^ "Škrtel takes Slovakian prize". uefa.com. 2008-02-04. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
  13. ^ "Vittek honoured in Slovakia". uefa.com. 2006-12-21. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
  14. ^ "Кто за Акинфеева? Все!". Sport Express. 2006-12-19. Retrieved 2008-01-28. Левые центральные защитники: Колодин - 9, Шемберас - 9, Шкртел - 7.
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