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 lea ...

who plays as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

for

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

club

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...

and

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

the Slovakia national team. Škriniar began his career in his native Slovakia with

Žilina Žilina (; ; ; ; Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#Z, names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the List of cities ...

. He also underwent a loan spell at ViOn Zlaté Moravce early in his career. In 2016, Škriniar moved to Italy with

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

, where he would play for a season before joining league rivals

Internazionale Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Since 1 ...

. Škriniar went on to win one

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

, two

Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...

, and two

Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana, also known as the Italian Super Cup, is an annual super cup tournament in Italian football. Founded in 1988 as a two-team competition, it has featured four teams since 2023 (the winners and runners-up of the previous ...

titles for the ''Nerazzurri'', eventually becoming the team's captain. He joined French club Paris Saint-Germain in 2023. As a youth international, Škriniar represented Slovakia at under-17, under-18, under-19, and under-21 level. In May 2016, at the age of 21, he made his senior Slovakia debut, and was selected for the team representing his country at

UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's association football, football ch ...

. Škriniar later played for Slovakia at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024.

Club career

MŠK Žilina

Škriniar began his career in the youth structures of

Žiar nad Hronom Žiar nad Hronom (slang: Žiar, , ; until 1920 ''Svätý Kríž'' and until 1955 ''Svätý Kríž nad Hronom'') is a city in Banská Bystrica Region, Slovakia. Name development The name of the settlement has gone through multiple developments. P ...

before joining the youth setup of

at 12 years old. He made his official

Slovak Super Liga The Slovak First Football League (), officially known as Niké liga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Slovakia and the highest level of the Football in Slovakia, Slovak football league system. It was formed ...

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 tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...

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

Sampdoria

On 29 January 2016,

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

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

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

Marco Giampaolo Marco Giampaolo (; born 2 August 1967) is an Italian football manager and former professional player who played as a midfielder. He was most recently the head coach of Serie A club Lecce. Playing career Although born in Bellinzona, Switzerland, ...

'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

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 Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...

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 and the Italy national team. Club career Roma Born in Rome, Italian capital, Caprari started his career at Atletico 2000. He then ...

. 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. ...

against

Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...

as Inter won 3–0 at

San Siro San Siro is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy. It has a seating capacity of 75,817, making it the largest stadium in Italy and one of the largest stadiums in Europe. It is the home stadium of the city's principal ...

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

Crotone Crotone (; ; or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Calabria, Italy. Founded as the Achaean colony of Kroton ( or ; ), it became a great Greek city, home of the renowned mathematician-philosopher Pythagoras amongst other famous citizens, and one ...

, 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 (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

after six years. 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 concentr ...

match against

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

, 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 ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

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 Tiraspol (), commonly known as Sheriff Tiraspol or simply Sheriff, is a professional football club based in Tiraspol, a city located in the unrecognised breakaway state of Transnistria, that plays in the Liga, the top tier o ...

. In an interview with Slovak outlet ''Futbolsfz.sk'' on 29 January 2023, Škriniar confirmed that he had signed a pre-contract agreement with

club

. Negotiations took place between Inter Milan and PSG to transfer Škriniar during the January transfer window, but they eventually broke down. He was subsequently stripped of the captaincy by manager

Simone Inzaghi Simone Inzaghi (; born 5 April 1976) is an Italian professional football manager and former player, who is currently the head coach of Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal. Nicknamed "''Il demone di Piacenza''" ("The Piacenza Demon") because of his ...

. In February, Škriniar suffered a lower back injury, which was later revealed to be a

lumbar vertebra The lumbar vertebrae are located between the thoracic vertebrae and pelvis. They form the lower part of the back in humans, and the tail end of the back in quadrupeds. In humans, there are five lumbar vertebrae. The term is used to describe the ...

fracture. He underwent surgery for the fracture in April, missing the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the Champions League. In the

2023 UEFA Champions League final The 2023 UEFA Champions League final was the final match of the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League, the 68th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA. It was played at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, on ...

on 10 June, Škriniar was left on the bench as Inter was defeated 1–0 by

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

. On 30 June 2023, Inter Milan announced the departure of Škriniar as a free agent at the end of 2022–23 season, after six years with the club.

Paris Saint-Germain

On 6 July 2023, Paris Saint-Germain officially confirmed that Škriniar had joined the club, signing a five-year contract until 30 June 2028. He became the first Slovak to play for the club. Škriniar made his debut in a 0–0 league draw against

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...

at the

Parc des Princes The Parc des Princes (, ) is an all-seater stadium, all-seater football stadium in Paris, France. It is located in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin (P ...

on 12 August. On 7 November 2023, Škriniar scored his first goal for PSG in a 2–1 loss against

AC Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...

in the group stage of the Champions League.

Loan to Fenerbahçe

On 30 January 2025, Škriniar joined

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...

club Fenerbahçe on loan for the remainder of the 2024–25 season. On 2 February 2025, he made his Süper Lig debut against

Çaykur Rizespor Çaykur Rizespor Kulübü is a Turkish professional Association football, football club based in Rize, a city on the eastern Black Sea region, Black Sea coast. The team competes in the Süper Lig, the top tier of Football in Turkey, Turkish footba ...

match in a 3-2 home win.

International career

Having represented various Slovak youth teams, Škriniar debuted for the senior squad in a friendly 3–1 victory over

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

on 27 May 2016. He was selected as part of the Slovakia squad for

. After the international retirement of Ján Ďurica in November 2017, Škriniar took his place as a

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

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

despite his relatively young age, compared to veteran defenders Peter Pekarík and

Tomáš Hubočan Tomáš Hubočan (; born 17 September 1985) is a retired Slovakia, Slovak professional footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender. He made his senior international debut in 2006. He has gone on to make 73 appearances fo ...

). On 27 March 2021, Škriniar scored his first international goal during a

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification was the FIFA World Cup qualification, qualifying process which decided the 31 teams that would join hosts Qatar national football team, Qatar, who received an automatic spot, at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Par ...

against

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, ending in a 2–2 draw. 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 or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Marek Hamšík Marek Hamšík (; born 27 July 1987) is a Slovak football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently the team manager and assistant coach for the Slovakia national team. After beginning his club career with Slovan B ...

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

Štefan Tarkovič Štefan Tarkovič (born 18 February 1973) is a Slovak football manager and a former player. He currently manages Kyrgyzstan. Previously, he headed the national team of Slovakia as well as various Slovak clubs such as Žilina, Tatran Prešov an ...

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 In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

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 Martin Škrtel 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. newspaper ''

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, motorsport, and cycling. Its predecessor, '' ...

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

Personal life

Škriniar has been in a relationship with model and a former volleyball player Barbora Hrončeková since 2014. Their daughter Charlotte was born in 2020 and they married in

Halič Halič (; ) is a village and municipality in the Lučenec District in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia. History In historical records, the village was first mentioned in 1299 (''Gach'') in the records of the Kingdom of Hungary as the loc ...

in July 2023. Škriniar is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Career statistics

Club

International

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

Honours

Žilina *

: 2011–12 *

Slovak Cup The Slovak Cup (), currently named Slovnaft Cup due to sponsorship agreement with Slovnaft, is the only nationwide Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in Football in Slovakia, Slovak football. The winner qualifies for the UEFA Euro ...

: 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 ...

: 2021–22,

2022–23 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 ...

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

runner-up:

Paris Saint-Germain *

: 2023–24, 2024–25 *

Coupe de France The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...

: 2023–24 *

Trophée des Champions The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the Super cup, super cups found in many other count ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

Individual * Slovak Footballer of the Year: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

References

External links

Milan Škriniar
at the Paris Saint-Germain FC website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Skriniar, Milan 1995 births Living people Sportspeople from Žiar nad Hronom Slovak Roman Catholics 21st-century Slovak sportsmen Footballers from the Banská Bystrica Region Slovak men's footballers Men's association football central defenders MŠK Žilina players FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce players UC Sampdoria players Inter Milan players Paris Saint-Germain FC players Fenerbahçe S.K. footballers Slovak First Football League players Serie A players Ligue 1 players Süper Lig players Slovakia men's youth international footballers Slovakia men's under-21 international footballers Slovakia men's international footballers UEFA Euro 2016 players UEFA Euro 2020 players UEFA Euro 2024 players Slovak expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Slovak expatriate sportspeople in Italy Slovak expatriate sportspeople in France Slovak expatriate sportspeople in Turkey