Seven years after leaving Liverpool, Martin Skrtel is no longer recognizable and is now playing “like Messi.”

Martin Skrtel, a former Reds defender, met up with Ian Doyle, the chief LFC writer for The Liverpool ECHO, in Singapore to talk about life at and after Anfield.

Martin Skrtel’s appearance can be unexpected for anyone who hasn’t looked at him in a while.

The former defender, known for having a head that was aggressively buzzed while he was playing for Liverpool, enters the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Singapore with a fine head of hair.

He laughs, “It’s not a fake!”. I believe I will keep it because many people have recently commented that I no longer appear frightening or ugly.

But that pales in comparison to how much Skrtel is presently enjoying his football. The former center-back, who retired from professional football last year, is keeping a promise by playing for the neighborhood team FK Hajskala Raztocno.

He announces to the ECHO, “You wouldn’t believe it, but I’m the striker for them now!”. Actually, I play more like Messi does in that I go wherever I want. I promised my friends that I would return and play with them once I retired when I left my village at the age of 15 to pursue a career as a professional player.

“And they kept that in mind, so in the last few years of my career they would call me and say, ‘Just finish, we want to play with you again!’. Then, when I retired, it was obvious that my fitness wasn’t the best, but I went back because I wanted to keep my word.

The level isn’t the best, and it’s the lowest division in Slovakia. I played center back in the first game and tried to pass the ball out from the back, but there was no one there. I then suggested to the coach that perhaps I should move to the midfield and have the ball a little bit more. I thus remained there the entire season and contributed a few goals. It’s different, which is why I like it. You simply play the game and then enjoy a few beers. “I love it!”.

The group of ex-players invited to join Liverpool’s tour of Singapore included Skrtel, who is now 38. After leaving in the summer of 2016 at the conclusion of Jurgen Klopp’s first season as manager, he has enjoyed running into a few familiar faces.

“It’s a special and an honor for me to be a part of the club again and see how the fans are happy to see me again,” he says. I’m grateful for it. Sadly, I’ve only returned to Anfield three times since I left because I was constantly playing. I returned for two Legends games as well as a guest appearance because we are filming a movie about my career there. I was there filming some things. Reentering is always pleasant. I hope to be able to visit more frequently now that I’m retired and have more free time.
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When Skrtel moved to Liverpool from Zenit St. Petersburg for £6.5million in January 2008, the movie debut of Skrtel began. The former Slovakia international was surprised that he might move to Merseyside despite being aware of the possibility.

It’s a pretty funny story, he says. “I frequently spoke with my agent about my desire to visit England. In the UEFA Cup match I played with Zenit against Everton at Goodison Park just before signing for Liverpool, there were rumors that Everton were interested in me.

I told my agent that if he could find something, that would be great, but at that time I wasn’t thinking about a specific club; all I wanted to do was go to England.

Then he called me and said we were going to England to meet with a club. In my mind, that club was going to be Everton. I was shocked when he later revealed that it was Liverpool, though. Joining a team with so many prominent players would never even cross my mind. I’m delighted that it worked out that way because it was a wonderful moment for my family and me. ”.

Skrtel continued to play for the Reds in more than 300 games, scoring in the 2012 League Cup victory over Cardiff City, and was named player of the season for the 2011–12 campaign. However, his first club start against Havant and Waterlooville in the FA Cup didn’t exactly go as planned.

After being given credit for an own goal that day, he admits, “If I’m being completely honest, the start of my Liverpool career wasn’t the best.”. “When I signed, the people may have had high expectations for me because I was an unknown player without a lot of experience.

But all I could do was try to do my best, learn from my teammates, and get better every day. Rafa Benitez was actively assisting me, constantly encouraging me, and attempting to instill in me more self-assurance at that time. My time with Liverpool then improved steadily after that. ”.

Skrtel is one of the few Liverpool players to have played for five different managers, starting with Rafael Benitez, moving on to Roy Hodgson, Kenny Dalglish, Brendan Rodgers, and finally Jurgen Klopp.

Every single one was unique, he claims. “Rafa introduced me to the club; despite working with Dick Advocaat at Zenit, he was the first significant manager I had met. It is a different experience working for Liverpool under Rafa Benitez. He gave me more tactically than any other manager, talked to me every day, and taught me a lot.

“When he left, Roy Hodgson arrived, and although he had a different coaching approach, he only worked with him for a brief period of time. After that, I only spent a brief amount of time with Kenny, Brendan, and obviously Jurgen.

Every manager I work with, I try to learn something from them. Each one of them has managerial experience and is a decent person. They were always kind to me and worked to improve my game, so it was a blessing to have them at Liverpool.
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Skrtel and Liverpool both failed to win the Premier League title before they broke a 30-year drought in 2020. However, thrilling title challenges occurred under Benitez in 2008–09 and Rodgers in 2013–14.

Every team is unique, with unique players and playing styles, according to Skrtel. “I wouldn’t try to choose a better team from either of those. It was just unfortunate that we weren’t able to prevail.

When compared to 2014, which featured Coutinho, Sturridge, Suarez, and Sterling, 2009 featured Torres, Alonso, Gerrard, and Hyypia. Perhaps combining them would create the world’s greatest team.

The 5-1 victory over Arsenal in the 2013–14 season, during which the Reds were up 4-0 after just 20 minutes, was arguably Skrtel’s best performance for Liverpool and one of the most lauded Anfield games of the Premier League era. The Reds also hit the post during that period and missed two other excellent opportunities.

According to Skrtel, “People still approach me and discuss that game.”. In fact, this week I spoke with an Arsenal supporter about it.

“I had never previously scored twice in one game. We were awarded a free kick early in the game on the left, and Stevie (Gerrard) indicated he would take it and direct it into the area where I was running. As a result, I scored. After ten minutes, we had a corner, and I thought, “Well, this won’t be aimed at me as I’ve already scored,” but it was, and I scored again. Crazy, that was!

As a defender, you don’t score many goals, so I was pleased with each and every one. As a result, that game was exceptional in exceptional circumstances. At that time, Arsenal was leading. That year, at home, we defeated Tottenham and Everton both by scores of 4-0. Sadly, despite a fantastic campaign, we fell short of winning the championship. ”.

After leaving Liverpool, Skrtel spent the majority of the remainder of his playing days in Turkey, first with Fenerbahce and then with Basaksehir before playing one final season with Spartak Trnava in Slovakia. Though there was also a very brief period in Italy, during which he quickly realized playing in a three-man defense wasn’t his strong suit.

The contract was terminated after three weeks because, in Skrtel’s words, “Atalanta are a great club, but I felt it wasn’t the right choice.”. “I just had a gut instinct that moving there was a mistake. Although there were rumors of a falling out with the coach, this was untrue. It worked out well for me because I returned to Turkey and won the league with Basaksehir in my first season there. ”.

So, moving on to the present, Skrtel thinks that despite the Liverpool team’s new look, one thing hasn’t changed.

He states, “We are talking about Liverpool, one of the biggest teams in the world. For this season, the goals should always be the highest. However, given the level of competition in the Premier League—clubs like Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea—it is clear that it will never be simple.

“But with the talent we have in the team – new players are in and some have left – I saw them against Leicester here in Singapore and they look sharp. It will be a long and difficult season, but I think Liverpool can return to their rightful place if the players can maintain their fitness and the squad remains strong. ”.