Milan Škriniar (born 11 February 1995) is a Slovak professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

club

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Football in Italy, Italian professional Association football, football ...

and

captains Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

the Slovakia national team.

Club career

MŠK Žilina

Škriniar began his career in the youth structures of

FK Žiar nad Hronom FK Žiar nad Hronom was a Slovak football team, based in the town of Žiar nad Hronom. The club was founded in 1929. In the summer of 2012, FK Žiar nad Hronom merged with TJ Sokol Dolná Ždaňa to form FK Pohronie. The club's most notable ...

before joining the youth setup of

MŠK Žilina MŠK Žilina () is a Slovak football club based in the town of Žilina, that is playing in the Slovak Superliga. Since the league inception in 1993, the club has won 7 titles and comes second in All-time table that makes them one of the most s ...

at age 12. He made his official

Slovak Super Liga The Slovak Super Liga is the top level football league in Slovakia, currently known as the Fortuna Liga due to a sponsorship arrangement. It was formed in 1993 following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. The record for most titles is eleven, he ...

debut for the first team on 27 March 2012 aged 17 years and 49 days, in a match against ViOn Zlaté Moravce. On 23 November 2012 he scored his first goal in the Slovak Super Liga against ViOn during a 4–1 victory. Škriniar was sent on

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...

for half a season to ViOn Zlaté Moravce in February 2013, in order to gain more first-team experience.

Sampdoria

On 29 January 2016,

Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, ...

announced the signing of Milan Škriniar on a four-and-half year contract. He made his debut in a 2–1 home victory over

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in late April. During the next season Škriniar played a key role for

Marco Giampaolo Marco Giampaolo (; born 2 August 1967) is an Italian coach (sport), manager, and former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder (association football), midfielder. He was most recently the head coach of Serie A cl ...

's Blucerchiati, finishing the campaign as the youngest defender to have made at least 35 appearances in

Inter Milan

On 7 July 2017, Škriniar completed a transfer to fellow Serie A side

signing a five-year contract. The club paid a reported fee around €20 million and also included the striker

Gianluca Caprari Gianluca Caprari (born 30 July 1993) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Monza, on loan from Hellas Verona. He represents the Italy national team. Club career Roma Born in Rome, Italian capital, Caprari star ...

. The transfer made Škriniar the most expensive Slovak player of all time. He was presented four days later and received squad number 37, stating: "It's amazing to think that in 18 months I've gone from the Slovakian league to playing for a club like Inter." Škriniar made his competitive debut for the club on 20 August in the opening matchday of

2017–18 Serie A The 2017–18 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 116th season of top-tier Italian football, the 86th in a round-robin tournament and the 8th since its organization under a league committee separate from Serie B. ...

versus

Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...

as Inter won 3–0 at

San Siro Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy, which is the home of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the largest stadiums in ...

. He scored his first Serie A goal later on 16 September against

Crotone Crotone (, ; nap, label= Crotonese, Cutrone or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Calabria, Italy. Founded as the Achaean colony of Kroton ( grc, Κρότων or ; la, Crotona) in Magna Graecia, it was known as Cotrone from the Middle Ages until ...

, the opener in the 82nd minute with a right-footed shot in an eventual 2–0 away win to keep Inter's winning streak. His second of the campaign came in matchday 10 against his former side

on 24 October, netting again the opener as Inter won 3–2. Škriniar was distinguished for his performances in the first part of the season, being one of the best players of the squad. He continued with his great performances even in the second part of the season, which proved clinical for the team, which returned to

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

after six years. He concluded the season by playing in all 38 matches in league, receiving only two yellow cards. In the 2018–19 season, Škriniar made his debut in the UEFA Champions League on 18 September in the opening

group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concent ...

match against

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

, playing full-90 minutes in a 2–1 comeback win at San Siro. On 2 November 2019, in a Serie A match against

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

which ended in a 2–1 away win, Škriniar made his 100th appearance in all competitions for Inter, all of them as starter. On 3 November 2021, Škriniar scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 3–1 away win against

Sheriff Tiraspol Fotbal Club Sheriff (russian: ФК Шериф Тирасполь), commonly known as Sheriff Tiraspol or simply Sheriff, is a Moldovan professional football club based in Tiraspol, a city located in the unrecognised breakaway state of Transnist ...

. On 29 January 2023, Škriniar confirmed that he had signed a contract with

Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...

club

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...

to join the club on a free transfer in the summer.

International career

Škriniar represented various Slovak youth teams, and made his debut for the Slovakia senior squad in a friendly 3–1 win over

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

on 27 May 2016. By the end of the year, he was a part of a number of different games and became a notable part of the squad in the

2018 World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...

qualification, usually playing as a defensive midfielder. After the international retirement of

Ján Ďurica Ján Ďurica (born 10 December 1981) is a Slovak former professional footballer who played as a central defender. He worked as assistant manager of FC Petržalka. Club career Ďurica moved to FC Saturn Moscow Oblast after a highly successful U ...

in November 2017, Škriniar took his place as a

partner to

Martin Škrtel Martin Škrtel (born 15 December 1984) is a Slovak former professional footballer, a former player and captain of the Slovakia national team and Liverpool Football Club. Škrtel previously played for FK AS Trenčín and Zenit Saint Petersburg, ...

in the national team, even directing Slovak defence in Škrtel's absences (for example in a double fixture against

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and

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

despite his relatively young age, compared to experienced side-backs

Peter Pekarík Peter Pekarík (; born 30 October 1986) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Bundesliga club Hertha BSC and the Slovakia national team. Club career Žilina Pekarík, born in Žilina, began playing football at the y ...

and

Tomáš Hubočan Tomáš Hubočan (; born 17 September 1985) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a defender for Cypriot club Karmiotissa. He made his senior international debut in 2006. He has gone on to make 73 appearances for Slovakia, represe ...

). Following the international retirement of national team

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Marek Hamšík Marek Hamšík (; born 27 July 1987) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Süper Lig club Trabzonspor. He formerly captained the Slovakia national team. After beginning his club career with Slovan Bratislava in 20 ...

, Škriniar was appointed the captain of the team in June 2022. National team coach

Štefan Tarkovič Štefan Tarkovič (born 18 February 1973) is a Slovak football manager. He is currently the manager of Slovakia. He previously managed the teams Žilina Žilina (; hu, Zsolna, ; german: Sillein, or ; pl, Żylina , names in other langua ...

highlighted Škriniar's leadership qualities during the announcement.

Style of play

Škriniar has been described as a defender who is "a strong tackler who is quick to make clearances". A natural

, he can also be deployed as a

defensive midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

where he also produced outstanding performances with under-21 side. His former youth manager said of him: He �kriniarhas always been the leader on and off the pitch. He has been described in the media as the successor to former Liverpool icon

in Slovakia's defensive line. He has also drawn praise from several Italian pundits for his positional sense, as well as his ability in the air, and in one on one situations. When linked with a transfer to PSG in June 2022,

L'Équipe ''L'Équipe'' (, French for "the team") is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sport, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of association football, rugby football, rugby, motorsport, and cycle sport, ...

highlighted Škriniar's high pass and long pass accuracy, his complexity and low injury proneness and imposing figure.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Slovakia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Škriniar goal.''

Honours

MŠK Žilina *

: 2011–12 *

Slovak Cup The Slovak Cup () is the main knockout cup competition in Slovak football. The winner qualifies for the UEFA Europa Conference League. History The competition was first contested in 1969. Until 1993, the winner of the Slovak Cup would face the w ...

: 2011–12 Inter Milan *

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...

: 2021–22 *

Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana ( en, Italian Super Cup) is an annual football match contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season. If the same team wins both the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles in the previous seaso ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

runner-up: 2019–20 Slovakia *

King's Cup __NOTOC__ King's Cup (incl. translations), may refer to: Sports Football * Copa del Rey, Spanish for "King's Cup," the main national knockout tournament in men's football * King Cup (sometimes named King's Cup), Saudi Arabian men's football nati ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Individual * Peter Dubovský Award: 2016 *

UEFA European Under-21 Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the compe ...

Team of the Tournament:

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

Slovak Footballer of the Year The award was first presented in 1965, as an award for the whole of Czechoslovakia ( Czechoslovak Footballer of the Year). It was won by Ján Popluhár. Ján Popluhár Award Slovak Footballer of the Year an annual title awarded to the best Slovak ...

: 2019, 2020, 2021

References

External links

Profile
at the Inter Milan website {{DEFAULTSORT:Skriniar, Milan 1995 births Living people Sportspeople from Žiar nad Hronom Slovak footballers Slovakia youth international footballers Slovakia under-21 international footballers Slovakia international footballers Association football defenders MŠK Žilina players FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce players U.C. Sampdoria players Inter Milan players Slovak Super Liga players Serie A players UEFA Euro 2016 players UEFA Euro 2020 players Slovak expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Italy Slovak expatriate sportspeople in Italy