page_title: Martin Škrtel
section_title: 2007–08 season
hierarchical_section_title: Martin Škrtel / Club career / Liverpool / 2007–08 season
caption_attribution_description: English: Martin Škrtel
context_page_description: Martin Škrtel is a Slovak professional footballer who currently plays for Turkish club İstanbul Başakşehir and was formerly a long-term captain of Slovakia.
  He previously played for Trenčín and Zenit Saint Petersburg, before joining Liverpool for £6.5 million in January 2008. After eight-and-a-half years with Liverpool, where he played 319 official games and scored 18 goals, he joined Fenerbahçe. He has won the Russian Premier League and the League Cup, as well as being named Slovak Footballer of the Year four times.
  Škrtel made his international debut for Slovakia in 2004 and has earned a total of 104 caps, making him the third most capped player of his country at the time of his retirement in 2019, behind Marek Hamšík and Miroslav Karhan. He also retired as Slovakia's 10th best international scorer with 6 goals, sharing the spot with Július Šimon and Miroslav Stoch. He represented the country as they reached the last 16 at both the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016.
context_section_description: Škrtel joined Liverpool on 11 January 2008 on a four-and-a-half-year contract for a transfer fee of £6.5 million. On completion of the deal, then 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 league debut against Aston Villa, wearing the number 37 for Liverpool. Benítez also compared Škrtel to legendary Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.
  On 26 January 2008, Škrtel played in Liverpool's FA Cup fourth round tie against non-league side Havant & Waterlooville, when he gave away a corner which put Liverpool 1–0 behind, and was also involved in a goal mouth scramble which saw Liverpool go 2–1 down after having equalised, before Liverpool eventually won 5–2. 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. Škrtel was again voted man of the match for his performance in the 1–0 derby win over Everton at Anfield on 30 March 2008, his first ever appearance in a Merseyside derby.
caption: Škrtel warming up for Liverpool before a UEFA Champions League game in 2008
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