http://www.martinskrtel.net/Martin Skrtel, a professional footballer, was born on December 15, 1984 in Handlová, Slovakia. Nicknamed as Squirtle in the professional circuit, Martin Skrtel was a proficient ice hockey player before he chose to pursue his career in football, following the footsteps of his father.
Martin Skrtel was selected for the Slovakia national team in 2004, subsequent to his experience with the youth teams. He was awarded as the Youth champion of Slovakia in 2001 and Slovak Footballer of the Year in 2007. As of May 2008, he has appeared in 25 matches for the national team, contributing four goals.
Martin Skrtel kicked off his football career at a tender age of six by joining as a youth player in Prievidza Football Club. After playing in different positions, he opted to play the role of a defender at the age of sixteen. In 2001, he entered the professional football arena by signing for FK AS Tren?ín, a Slovak football club, and represented it in 45 matches during his tenure of three years.
Martin Skrtel switched to Zenit Saint Petersburg, a Russian football club, in 2004, and made his debut in a Russian Cup match in July of the same year. The presence of players from his homeland helped him get acquainted to his new team.
He was ranked third as a left-central defender in the 2006 Russian Premier League’s list of 33 best players. Martin Skrtel also made his mark in the same league the following year. Totally, he made 113 appearances for the team, scoring five goals.
Despite the interest of various other clubs that wanted his services, Martin Skrtel signed a four and a half year contract for Liverpool in January 2008 for a whopping £6.5 million. He won the confidence of the club’s manager, Rafael Benítez, who hopes that Martin Skrtel would be a great asset for the club owing to his good mentality and competitive attitude. Martin Skrtel made his league debut for the club against Aston Villa by sporting the number 37 shirt. In the fourth round of the Football Association (FA) Cup in January 2008, he made it to the starting eleven and represented the club in the match against Havant & Waterlooville, a non-league English club. He was voted as the Man of the Match by his Liverpool supporters on their official website, subsequent to a concrete performance in the league game against Chelsea. Martin Skrtel has become a fan favorite and proved to be a significant player for Liverpool by his excellent play at centre-half in both the Union of European Football Association (UEFA) Champions League quarter-final legs against Arsenal F.C.
Martin Skrtel made his first appearance in a Merseyside derby match in Liverpool’s victory against Everton in March 2008. His brilliant display in the match made the Liverpool supporters vote him as Man of the Match on Liverpoolfc.TV.
Here is an interesting tidbit that says Skrtel actually played on the left wing or up front until 16
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/alansmith/5024198/Martin-Skrtel-proving-to-be-another-fine-Rafael-Benitez-signing.htmlThe players, for instance, had come in earlier than usual to undergo a few tests with the medical staff. Gauging body fat was one, which was never likely to trouble the club's Slovakian centre-half, Martin Skrtel, who comes around the corner looking super-fit.
"It has been one of the best weeks in my career," Skrtel says straight away, his close-cropped hair topping a powerful 6ft 4in frame. "They were fantastic results for everyone. Before the game at Old Trafford the manager and all the players said this was our last chance to stay in the title race. We knew we had to win and I think we were better than them."
In the wake of those stirring results, much has been said – and rightly so – about the indispensable influence of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. Skrtel, however, has also played a key part by forging a strong bond with Jamie Carragher.
In fact, with Daniel Agger injured and Sami Hyypia used more sparingly these days, the 24-year-old has impressively answered the call since returning from a bad knee injury at the end of December. Strong, aggressive, good in the air, the lad looks excellent value for the £6.5 million Benitez paid Zenit St Petersburg in January 2008. Not surprisingly, Skrtel is pleased his manager has committed to a new contract.
"Rafa signing is perfect for us, perfect for the club," he says. "It's good for everyone that we know he's staying for a long time now. He brought me here and he has improved me as a player. When I arrived I hadn't been playing because it was the winter break in Russia, but Rafa gave me a chance straight away and since then he has brought my level up a lot."
Yet Skrtel rolls his eyes and smiles when I mention his full debut, a topsy-turvy FA Cup tie against Havant and Waterlooville. The new boy, in truth, had a bit of a nightmare.
"No, it wasn't a good game for me. It was my first game at Anfield and I was a little nervous. But Rafa kept with me for the next game against Sunderland and from then on it got better and better."
Skrtel was brought up in Raztocno, a small village two hours outside the Slovakian capital, Bratislava. Useful at ice hockey as a boy, he concentrated on football from the age of 10, though he took a few years to settle down in defence.
"I always played left wing or as a striker. But when I was 16 and playing for the Slovakia youth team our centre-backs were injured and suspended, so the manager asked if I could play there. I said I would try but I'd never done it before."
He was obviously pretty good because after a spell at Trencin, Skrtel left home at 19 to join Zenit. "That was very hard," he confirms. "Going from a small club and small city like Trencin to a big city like St Petersburg where five million people live – everything was new for me. I had to learn a lot of new things – a new language, a new style of football. Everything was totally different to Slovakia."
After falling out with his first manager, Dick Advocaat arrived to lend some belief and the youngster's performances soon started turning heads. Eventually, a host of clubs were keen on a player seemingly ready-made for the tough environs of the Premier League.
"I'm a centre-back so I have to be strong – win every header and tackle if I can. That's how I like it. When I was younger I'd pick up a lot of yellow cards but in our first meeting Rafa told me to be careful in England because it is easy to get booked. Now I try to play strong but without the fouls."
It is a successful approach that is going to be crucial over the next few weeks, seeing as Aston Villa's visit tomorrow kicks off a decisive run encompassing yet another Champions League clash with Chelsea.
Next Saturday, what's more, Skrtel lines up against England in a Wembley friendly, though the serious stuff starts the following Wednesday for a country topping its World Cup qualifying group.
"We play the Czech Republic," he explains. "That is a huge game. It's like Liverpool v Everton – a real derby. A lot of Czech people think they are better than us Slovaks. Before Czechoslovakia was broken up, there were 10 million Czechs in the country and only five million of us. Because of that they thought they were better