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Falling Army
He knew this day would come. Especially after his injury it was only a matter of time. He lost his game, his place at the club. He wasn’t too upset about that. He’d had his spot for a long long time and knew it was someone else’s turn, like Dejan Lovren. And yet the fact that he was leaving sat heavily on his chest. Weighing him down like and anchor that begged him to stay, the sound of fans cheering his name echoed in his ears, a sign that pleaded to him that it wasn’t his time to leave yet. Because truth be told he never really wanted to leave Liverpool.
He didn’t want to leave but he had to because it was weird; there was just this knowing, this knowing that told him it was time to move on. Because it looked like everyone else had. Maybe he should join them. Liverpool was where his career was and now it’s time to finish off his work somewhere less tense, somewhere less challenging.
But that wasn’t the type of person Skrtel was. He loved a challenge, welcomed the never ending games because that’s what he signed up for. He is old and set in his ways as the wife says. He just doesn’t want to pack up and go. To say goodbye to what has been the best years of his life. Where he met the most incredible people.
He might be from Slovakia but Liverpool was his home. It was where his son was born, where Matteo grew up, where he went to school, where Martin worked and where his friends lived. Everything was in Liverpool now. Sure, he knew he felt the same when he left Russia to come to England and look how well he built a life here in Liverpool, surely he could do the same in another country. It’d be the same right? He could make a new life wherever he moved because life moved on, no matter how much we didn’t want it to.
But the fact was still that he didn’t want to leave. He liked Liverpool and it’s crappy weather, in fact he should’ve earned a medal for adapting to the temperamental elements in this damn city. He loved the corner shops that had everything you could ever need, he loved the small bars he and the lads went to after a long day at training, where everyone knew them and treated them like normal people. He liked living five minutes away from his teammates so he could just call Henderson and go grab a beer like it was nothing.
In a new place at a new club with new people. It was going to take time to settle in like he was here. If he was being honest with himself, he watches the new kids join and he sees how they struggle to settle into life and he counts his lucky stars that he isn’t one of them. Instead shows them were the good bars are and where all the kids go to school.
But soon he will be one of them.
But he will because life goes on and he no longer belongs at LFC. It’s a sad truth but a truth none the less. He just hopes that he’ll leave on good terms with the fans, club staff, manager and the players.
Skrtel was beyond frustrated with the situation. It was a constant tug of war in his mind. Every time he thought of a reason to go, another once would make him plant his feet on the pitch at Anfield. It was ridiculous. He’s a grown man and he should be able to make a simple decision.
Groaning in frustration, Skrtel swung his legs off of his bed so he could stand up and grab his phone. He then made his way downstairs to where Barbora was teaching their perfect Matteo how to cook a roast. The young Skrtel was standing on a stool and following his mother’s every instruction with a beaming smile on his face.
As he walked further into the kitchen he passed a doorframe. But it wasn’t just any old door frame. On the sides were a bunch of pencil marks with hastily written names scribbled next to them. At the beginning of every month, they would measure his son to see how much he’d grown. The previously white doorframe had a more metallic, graphite look to it after all these years. The corners of the centre back’s mouth lifted ever so slightly in a sad smile. It was scary how quickly Matteo was growing up.
“Martin? Everything okay?” Barbora called out to him.
“yeah everything is fine.” Martin replied quickly, walking over to quickly kiss his girlfriend and child. He ruffled his son’s head before taking in a deep breath “Smells good. What have you-“ the man’s question was cut off by his phone ringing loudly. The man pulled it out of his pockect to see the name Daniel Agger along with a rather ridiculous mugshot of his former partner.
“Daniel?”
“Yeah? I uh better take this. Be right back.” The Slovak moved out of the room and into the back garden. The cold air that moved through Liverpool hit his skin as he shut the back door before answering his phone and lifting the device up to his ear.
“Hello?”
“Skrts! How you been? It’s been way too long since we last spoke” the Dane said cheerfully and Skrtel couldn’t help but smile.
“I’ve been alright. Tough season and all.”
“Eh, you’re tough yourself, you can handle it.”
“So you keep telling me.” As Skrtel thought of Daniel he remembered something that was playing on his mind. “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask, what’s all this talk about you retiring?”
“I thought you might bring that up.” Agger admitted with a small chuckle “I really was considering it. I can’t stay in Brøndby for much longer.”
“Try coming back to Liverpool, I’m sure the fans would kill to have you back.” Agger laughed heartily at that
“Well who wouldn’t kill to have this guy on their defensive line? But honestly, I served my time at LFC. Even though it is always tempting to go back. But what’s the point if my partner in crime won’t be there with me anymore?”
“Yeah. You’ve hear about me too then?”
“I like to keep tabs on my friends. So Turkey huh?”
“Looks like it at the moment. Apparently Besiktas are looking to put in an offer? I got turned down by Middlesbrough. Can you believe that? Years ago, some of the top prem teams would’ve fought over me and I got turned down by a recently promoted team.”
“Eh, they couldn’t afford you anyway. You’re worth too much to go from LFC to them. Imagine having to play the lads. That’d be really weird.”
“True.”
“You need a fresh start if you wanna leave LFC to end your career somewhere else. Staying in England might be too hard.”
“Yeah, even if Middlesbrough would’ve put in an offer, I wouldn’t have taken it.”
“I know mate.” It still amazed Skrtel that after all these years, Agger still used some of the British slang he learnt.
“So how come you called?”
“Just to check up on you. Oh and also to tell you that Besiktas are looking to buy me too. So how’s Matteo?”
“He’s good. How’s- Wait what? Turkey are going after you too?” He could practically here Daniel smirking
“Yup. Don’t act so surprised, Skrts. I’m just as good as you and younger and better looking!”
“I just hadn’t heard anything that’s all and you are younger than me by three days! You can dream on better looking! Girls practically faint when I look at them.”
“Yeah from fright” the pair of them laughed again. Skrtel was too rugged to be sentimental so he’d never say the words out loud. But he really did miss the sound of his best friend’s voice. “So, you still considering Turkey?”
“The offer looks a little better now.” He confessed casually
“Only a little? I’m hurt Mart.”
“Man up, Dagger. Fine you’ve really made me consider it, now. I’ve been at war with myself since I realised that my time at Liverpool is running out.”
“Hard, isn’t it?”
“Definitely. A lot harder than I thought it would be.” Skrtel admitted
“Talk to Barbs and see what she has to say. Maybe she’d be up for moving to turkey. Nicer weather than Liverpool.”
“Yeah that would be the main selling point.”
“Sofie and I talked it over and she decided that she’d be happy to move to Turkey. Another chance to experience new culture and all that. Plus the possibility of seeing Barbora and Matteo again was a bonus.”
“Yeah? I’ll talk to my two now then. See what they have to say.”
“Good luck! Let me know how it turns out.”
“Will do.”
“I’ve got to go. I’ll catch you later, Skrts.”
“Alright. Talk to you later, Dan.” And with that, the call ended and Martin locked his phone. The defender took in a deep breath and let the bitter Liverpool air sink into his lungs, his body. He wanted to make sure it had made its place within him before he went to talk to his family. This was it. Decision time.
FALLING ARMY…
It was the start of a new season. The stadium was alive with the roars and cheers of the fans. The stamping of their feet made the place rumble. The freshly cut grass was a prominent smell, over powering. That smell brought so many people back to places of magic. To stadiums where the impossible happened.
The changing rooms were filled with music until the manger called the players out to the tunnels. It was then when Martin got charged up. When he got his head into game mode. He was ready. He could feel his name and number on his back and he smiled. Skrtel 37. It would always be his.
The lads patted each other on the back and they finally made the walk out of the tunnels. Just as he went to move forward, one of the players pulled him back to whisper in his ear a good luck. The hand that pulled his shoulder back had four letters tattooed on the knuckles. YNWA.
When the man released him, they made their way up and onto the stadium where the blinding lights shone down onto the pitch and fans screamed out the names of their favourite players.
Martin stood with his team. With his new team. Ready for the pre match photograph. It was his first game with Besiktas. Sure he was a little nervous. But how bad could it be when his best friend was beside him?
They went on to keep a clean sheet that match.
Skrtel was glad to have Agger back by his side.
A/N: Well that was fun. Thanks so much for reading. The news about Agger’s retirement hit me hard and the whole Skrtel likely leaving LFC thing wasn’t helping so I wrote out my ideal situation. It can never happen now but I was praying that it would end like this. So if you want to live in denial like I do then I hope I provided you with a good alternate reality ;-).
Anyway, thanks again for reading and I hoped you enjoyed this. Enjoy the rest of your day :-).