PETER SCHMEICHEL - The Great Dane!

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Full Name [glow=red,2,300]Peter Boleslaw
Schmeichel [/glow]Date of Birth 18th Nov 1963
Place of Birth Gladsaxe, Denmark
Position Goalkeeper
Height 6ft 4
United debut 17/8/1991
vs Notts C (H)
.....
Schmeichel's United Record
1991-1999

Appearances Clean sheets
League 292 130
FA Cup 41 20
League Cup 17 9
Europe 42 19
Other games 6 2
Total 398 180


Schmeichel's International Record 1991-2001
129 Caps for Denmark - 1 Goal
1992 European Championship Winner

Honours with United

1999 European Champions League
1999 F.A. Premier League
1999 F.A. Cup
1997 F.A. Premier League
1996 F.A. Cup
1996 F.A. Premier League
1994 F.A. Cup
1994 F.A. Premier League
1993 F.A. Premier League
1992 League Cup

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Peter Schmeichel is without question the greatest Goalkeeper in the history of Manchester United. In fact, although comparisons over time are difficult, he could likely be the greatest Goalkeeper of all-time. It is impossible to find a weakness or flaw in this man mountain of a player, in every department he was pure class through and through. Ultra-competitiveness, aggression and unlimited motivation made this "Great Dane" a seemingly unbreachable fortress.

Born in Gladsaxe, Denmark, he was a United supporter as a boy and his idol was 80's stopper, Gary Bailey. He began playing often as a striker but his real talent was found to be in goal. Soon Schmeichel was playing as a professional for local side Hvidøvre, but he really made his reputation when he moved to top Copenhagen side Brondby.
Alex Ferguson spotted his potential and took him to Old Trafford in August 1991 for the ridiculously small sum of £500,000. No disrespect to Les Sealy and Jim Leighton but the Goalkeeping position had always been a problem area at United. The big man solved that and the trophies soon rolled in: League Cup in 1992, Premier League in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1999 plus 3 FA Cups to make three "Doubles". And, of course the crowning glory of that unforgettable Champions League victory in the 1999 Treble season.

He decided to leave English football at the end of the 1999 season because the gruelling 60 game a season schedule at United was threatening to undermine his high standards at the age of 35. In the less intense environment of Sporting Lisbon in 2000 (his first season) he helped them win their first League title in 17 years. Schmeichel played his last International for Denmark against Slovenia in April 2001 having won a record 129 Danish caps.

There was a final twist in the tail however, that shocked everyone in the football world, as Schmeichel returned to the Premiership with Aston Villa on a free transfer in July 2001. An even greater shock came for United fans when he was signed by Kevin Keegan for Manchester City at the start of the 2002 season, again on a free. He proved he was still a great stopper but his time at Maine Road was blighted by injury and Peter finally retired from professional football for good in May 2003

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The Master of the one-on-one



When it came to shot stopping from long-range the Great Dane was unrivalled, he was rarely ever beaten from outside the box in his whole United career. Not only that, but from close range he was the master. In his school days playing Handball he had perfected a strange star-shaped jump to cover as much of the goal as possible.

When it came to a one-on-one attacker versus goalkeeper situation, Schmeichel was the best in the world. If an opposing player managed to break through the United defence and find himself with only big Peter to beat, Schmeichel would come charging out to narrow the angle. Spreading his huge frame high and wide in a star shape, this both put the player off and made the target to aim at smaller than a bottle-top.

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The great saves

His great saves are far too many to mention but highlights must be: his title winning performance away to Newcastle in 1996 when he withstood the black and white siege for 90 minutes and United won 1-0. His stunning save against Rapid Vienna later in 1996 was one of the all-time greats, similar to Gordon Banks against Pele, demonstrating amazing reflexes. Then there was his legendary last minute penalty save in the epic 1999 FA Cup Semi-final replay against Arsenal to deny Dennis Bergkamp.

His point blank save against Inter Milan's Zamorano in 1999 was another outstanding reflex save. For Denmark he was instrumental in the 1992 European Championships in Sweden. Pulling off a string of vital stops he helped the rank outsiders defy the odds and lift the trophy with a 2-0 win over Germany in the final. He even scored for Denmark from the penalty spot in a friendly International against Belgium in June 2000.

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Goalkeeping innovator

Not only was Schmeichel a master of all the arts of goal-keeping, he created some new ones of his own. Amazingly for a goalie he was a serious attacking threat, his long powerful throws out to Giggs or Beckham started a fair amount of United's counter-attacks, usually from corners. Teams would be pressurising United one moment, then find Schmeichel had caught the ball, launched a torpedo of a throw to Giggs and ripped their defence open.

One of the most bizarre sights was when, if United were losing late in a game and got a corner, Schmeichel would leave his goal and come up into the opposition box. The sight of him going up for the corner was a great distraction to opposing defenders - this giant Viking marauding like a madman. Schmeichel even scored once in such circumstances, a goal against Rotor Volgograd in 1995. Then, in the dying seconds of his final ever game for the reds, the European Cup final against Bayern Munich with United 1-0 down into injury time, there he was causing havoc again. And it worked!

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Footballing perfectionist

Schmeichel brought a confidence to not only the defence but the whole team. As well as being the best he was also the loudest. Never afraid to vent his feelings or anger at his own defenders if he thought they made an error, his huge bellowing voice could be heard ringing throughout the ground. And the wrath of Schmeichel was frequent, he was a perfectionist, a footballing obsessive.

If a goal was scored past him he took it as a personal insult, even in training he would get annoyed at team mates who put one past him. Schmeichel shouting at his defenders became a common site in the 1990's but the defenders themselves actually benefited greatly from it. He helped focus their attention, they could never go to sleep with him behind them. Schmeichel made them concentrate that bit more and from his deep position he could spot threats and dangers that they could not always see - and alert them. He would co-ordinate the whole defence instilling confidence by his constant vocal presence. The players always knew the big bloke was back there in control.

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Conclusion

No player could ever hope to better Peter Schmeichel's departure from Manchester United. Winning the Premier League, FA Cup, captaining the side to victory in the European Cup Final and getting his hands on that famous cup. The Treble was a fairy tale end to his years of glory and a thoroughly deserved triumph for this ultimate professional.

People always said that Schmeichel was worth 12 points a season to United. Without him how many trophies would United have won? How many times did he prevent that last minute vital goal being conceded or stop Bergkamp, Shearer, Owen, Zidane, Ronaldo.... the list goes on. A few years ago if the question was asked: "Who was the most important player for Manchester United of the 1990s?" the answer would almost certainly have been Eric Cantona. Now, in retrospect, could it be argued the answer to that question is Peter Schmeichel?

He was the ultimate last line of defence, a rock upon which to build a mighty empire. For nine years, the big man saved United's footballing skin and was a fundamental part in creating Alex Ferguson's many triumphs. Alongside Shilton, Zoff, Jennings and Yashin, Peter Schmeichel will always be remembered as one of the greatest Goalkeepers the world has ever seen.

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Schmeichel trivia


The name "Schmeichel" is not Scandinavian in origin because his father was Polish. His mother was Danish.

The Dane is an avid musician. He is can play the piano and also enjoys the drums, flute and guitar. His father is a professional pianist and his mother and sisters also play.

Peter has starred in adverts for Danepak Bacon (singing a song), Sugar Puff's (taking on the Honey monster), Reebok and Pepsi.

On the ITV soap Coronation Street, character Les Battersby named his family's dog (a Great Dane) 'Schmeichel'.

Schmeichel wore a goalkeeper shirt sized XXXL

He scored a fantastic scissor-kick last minute equaliser against Wimbledon in an FA Cup 4th round replay in 1997. Sadly it was ruled out because he was offside.

His son, Kasper Schmeichel plays as goalkeeper for Manchester City. He was called up for the Danish U-19 squad in August 2003 and has played on loan with League Two side Darlington.

He used to work as a pundit for the BBC until 2005, when he was ditched reportedly for his "longwinded sentences". Now he hosts live Champions League-matches on Danish television channel TV3+.

Schmeichel received an honorary MBE in 2000. In 2003 he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame and in 2004 was named as one of the 125 greatest living footballers, at the FIFA 100 celebrations.

He recently took part in BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.

[batteredsaussage]

Unbelivable player!

[REdBloodED woMan]

I missed him..i wonder why when we were talking about legend, he is often being left out...to me he is as important as Cantona was for us..I remember i was always secured whenever he plays, even if we conceded...missed him & definitely, one that is very very hard to replace.

[yaseen94]

United's former goal keeper Peter Schmeichel enjoyed eight glory-laden years with the Reds. We caught up with the Great Dane at a feelfootball.com coaching event in Manchester to discuss if the current crop has what it takes...

What have you made of United’s performances so far this season?

It’s starting to smell of big times again. I know we lost against Bolton but defeats give you a reality check and United know they need to keep working hard. Traditionally United are a stronger team come the latter part of the season and I think things look good. My main concern is when the big players are absent. I don’t believe we can play without Wayne Rooney or Nemanja Vidic. They are too important for us. Carlos Tevez is a great signing and one year down the line he and Wayne will be perfect together. But I still believe we need another striker. For me, Vidic has been the key to the defence. And he’s made Rio [Ferdinand] into a top class player. I thought Rio was a very good player before, but since Vidic has arrived they’ve got a settled partnership and Rio has developed brilliantly, just like Vidic.

Sir Alex recently commented that this is the strongest squad he’s ever had. You’ve been part of great United squads – how does this one compare?

The history of the club is something that is constantly breathing down your neck when you’re a United player. That history and the expectation level makes you go that one step further than any other player at any other club in the world. When I first joined, the history we had to deal with was the Busby Babes, 1968 and the fact that we hadn’t won the title for over 20 years. The desperation to win it was incredible and we all felt that. The current squad did brilliantly to win it last season and they have a great chance to go on to big things, but they have history on their shoulders as well because they have ’99 to contend with which is a hell of a year to compete with. So, of course, the manager has got to go out there and say they’re the best squad he’s had. He has to make the players believe that and that’s a good way of doing it. He said it in the past when I was there and after I left. What he’s saying is I’m extremely happy with what I’ve got and I love to work with these players. If Sir Alex is happy United will win matches which is the most important thing.

Is winning a second European Cup something that niggles away at Sir Alex?

Yes definitely. There's no reason why he couldn’t have won a second one, but once you get down to the last four like United did last season it becomes a lottery. And things just haven’t gone their way at the important times in the important games. They have a great chance to win the Champions League every season and I'd love to see them do it this time round.

Ferdinand and Vidic have been compared to Bruce and Pallister…

I definitely see similarities. I loved playing behind those two and for me Rio and Vidic are on a par with them. Brucey had a great heart and Pallister was superb on the ball and you see similar aspects in Rio and Vidic. The game has changed so much since I played – it’s a lot quicker nowadays and there are even more skilful players around these days. That’s why Rio and Vidic are so impressive.

What have you made of the progress Ronaldo has made since he joined United?

He’s been outstanding. He is up there as one of the five best players in the world. He’s learnt that the game is not all about doing fancy tricks, you need to do them at the right time. He’s found the perfect balance now of proving hugely effective by scoring and making goals, whilst still being able to throw in the odd trick and entertain the crowd. I believe Sir Alex is probably one of the few managers in the world who could manage a player like Ronaldo. Had Ronaldo been anywhere else I think he would be a different player – I’ve no doubt about that. Sir Alex is hard enough to put him in his place, but he’s also soft enough to encourage him as well.

There’s an interesting battle developing between United and City at the top of the table…

It’s fantastic for Manchester to see the two teams so close to each other. Obviously with my son Kasper being at City I want them to do well, but United are my team and I always want them to win. City have done brilliantly to stay up there for so long, but I can’t see them being there for the duration. The problem they have is despite doing so well this season, they still went to Chelsea and lost 6-0. It’s something that Sven [Goran-Eriksson] still needs to work on and it can take years to do that. In terms of the title race itself, it looks like it’ll be strongly contested by United and Arsenal, but I wouldn’t discount Chelsea either – they may still have a shot at it. Liverpool have an outside chance, but I don’t believe they’re as strong as United and Arsenal.