Martin Škrtel

FC Baník Prievidza and FK AS Trenčín

Škrtel started his professional career at local side FC Baník Prievidza and soon made a move to FK AS Trenčín, where he made 44 appearances and scored 8 goals between 2001 and 2004.

Zenit Saint Petersburg

Škrtel made his debut for Zenit Saint Petersburg against Irtysh Omsk in a Russian Cup match on 31 July 2004. He said that the presence of Slovak and Czech players helped him to adjust to his new club. He made 113 appearances and scored 5 goals for the club, winning the Russian Premier League title in the 2007 season. Valencia, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Newcastle United were all reported to be interested in his services, but he ended up signing for Liverpool in the January 2008 transfer window.

Liverpool

2007–08 season

Škrtel signed for Premier League club Liverpool on 11 January 2008 on a four-and-a-half-year contract for a transfer fee of £6.5 million. On the 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 made his debut for the club on 21 January, coming on as an 70th minute substitute for Álvaro Arbeloa in a 2–2 home draw against Aston Villa. Benítez also compared Škrtel to Jamie Carragher, his defensive partner and the club's vice-captain at the time. On 26 January 2008, Škrtel…

DAC Dunajská Streda

On 19 September 2024, Škrtel was named at the press conference as the new sporting director of DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda. However, he left the club after only 35 days in the office.

Spartak Trnava

After resigning from his position at Dunajská, Škrtel became a sports director at Spartak Trnava on 10 March 2025. On 18 November 2025, after the sacking of Michal Ščasný, it was announced that Škrtel would become Spartak Trnava's interim manager, in addition to his position of sporting director. In his first game as manager, Spartak won 2–1 away against Košice, courtesy of late goals from Martin Mikovič and Erik Sabo. Škrtel led the team to four wins out of five matches before the winter break, after which Antonio Muñoz was appointed manager of Spartak.

Having represented Slovakia at various youth levels, Škrtel made his debut for the senior squad against Japan at the 2004 Kirin Cup. He was selected in Slovakia's squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016, serving as captain in the latter. On 13 October 2018, Škrtel earned his 100th cap in a home friendly match against Czech Republic in Trnava, becoming the third most-capped Slovak footballer. On 22 February 2019, Škrtel announced his retirement from international football at the age of 34, along with another national team defender Tomáš Hubočan and forward Adam Nemec. The trio shared a farewell game on 13 October 2019 in a friendly match against Paraguay, which coincided with a national team return to Tehelné pole after 10 years. Škrtel played in the starting XI as a captain and was replaced by Denis Vavro after 30 minutes. The game finished as a 1–1 draw.

Škrtel was born on 15 December 1984 in Handlová.