Ex-Liverpool defender Skrtel announces retirement | OneFootball

Former Liverpool centre-back Martin Skrtel has announced his retirement in an emotional press conference in Slovakia.

Skrtel spent eight years on Merseyside and formed a key part of two title-challenging sides, in 2008/09 under Rafa Benitez and 2013/14 under Brendan Rodgers.

The Slovakian made 320 appearances in total for the Reds.

Skrtel said: "By coming to Trnava, I fulfilled my dream. I think that even at this age I still have something to offer the team and I could play at the top level.

"But then there is a medical condition. I have problems with plaques, they limit me not only in football, but also in my personal life.

"I don't remember a day I spent without pain. I have been training and wrestling under pills and injections in recent months.

"I had a problem walking with my son a hundred metres. The pain is pretty bad. The worst issues are running, jumping and the impact. This is something we need in football.

"Therefore, I had to decide that the match with Dunajska would be the last. The last one not only in Spartak, but also in my career.

"I couldn't imagine life without football, but it's time to start following the mind, not the heart. We have only one health. I have civil life ahead of me and I want to have it on some level, not in pain."