Former Liverpool star Skrtel named sporting director of Slovak club Dunajska Streda
DAC is currently in third place in the ongoing Nike Liga, having surprisingly dropped out of European competition this season in the second preliminary round of the Conference League with Azerbaijani club Zira.
Skrtel led Slovakia as captain at the 2016 European Championship. The national team advanced to the second round of that tournament, their highest-ever finish at a top event.
The former stopper was also at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, which is the only World Cup in which Slovakia have started so far. He finished his national team career in October 2019 with 104 caps, the fifth most of any Slovak.
"First of all, I am grateful. I want to thank the owner of the club and the CEO for the trust and the chance. It's the start of a new phase for me and I believe that I will be able to translate the experience I have gained as a player into a new job and a new position.
"I am glad that this chance has come and I can take this new path as an official at this club. I will do my best not to disappoint and to fulfil my role and the club's goals," Skrtel said at the press conference.
During the recent weeks, Martin Skrtel had been in close contact with Spartak Trnava representatives over a role at the club. However, the signing of a contract did not happen in the end. "I have never hidden the fact that I am a Spartak fan. However, at the moment I have to distinguish emotions from professional life.
"Things have developed in such a way that I am here now. Communication has not been ideal from both sides, but I don't want to create any conflicts. We had a different opinion on some things," he started to explain the reasons for his decision.
"As long as there is interest in me, I shouldn't be the one to take the initiative. I already had the same as a player. The logical connection was there, but it dragged on for too long. The intensity of the negotiations only increased after pressure from the fans.
"By then, information about my contact with Dunajska Streda had already leaked out. I don't want to say it was too late, but we had already had about four meetings with DAC. I didn't think it was fair to change anything," added the former national team mainstay.
Other clubs were also interested in the services of the now 39-year-old native of Handlova, one in particular from Turkey. "I had offers from abroad. However, none of them was as concrete and factual as this one. One of my conditions was that I wanted to stay in Slovakia, to prepare myself for possible further engagements," he explained.
The facilities and academy in the south of the country are among the best across Slovakia. The new sporting director's tasks will extend beyond the city, according to his own words. "We've talked about specific goals, but it's definitely not a one-season project. We didn't just deal with DAC itself, we also talked about moving the teams in Gyor and Samorin.
"I will do everything I can to be as helpful as possible and to help us get closer to our ambitions, but preferably to achieve them," concluded Skrtel.
"Martin offers the ideal profile for the position of sporting director, as he knows the world of football in detail, has a wealth of playing experience at the highest level and also leadership skills. He joins the club structure after the close of the transfer window, which is ideal timing."
"Because it gives him the space to observe and assess players, squad and team chemistry without having to change a lot of things immediately. This is a new and big step in his career and as a club, we are ready to support him through this challenge. We wish him every success," said CEO Jan van Daele, welcoming the addition of Skrtel.
At club level, Skrtel left his biggest mark at Liverpool, where he spent eight years. He won the League Cup with The Reds in the 2011/12 season.
He won two domestic league titles, first with Zenit St Petersburg (2007) and thirteen years later with Istanbul Basaksehir. At the end of his career, he played for Trnava, with whom he won the Slovak Cup two years ago after beating rivals Slovan Bratislava in the final. He was awarded as the best footballer in Slovakia four times (2007, 2008, 2011, 2012) and once as Liverpool's player of the season (2012).