Peter Schmeichel Biography

Peter Schmeichel Biography

Introduction
I wonder how it feels like to be a striker and end up in a one on one duel with Peter Schmeichel. His 6 feet and 5 inches and his impressive physique must strike a sense of intimidation in even the deadliest of attackers and to be honest, I would want to see that kind of goalkeeper fearlessly jumping at my feet in a desperate attempt to grab the ball.

But don't think that Schmeichel's only quality as a goalkeeper was intimidating his adversaries. Actually, he’s well known for his great reflex saves and his cross interceptions and he's one of those keepers that manage to give the rest of the team a sense of security, due to the fact that he doesn't screw up too often.

This Peter Schmeichel biography will focus on the Danish goalkeeper's career, from youth to earning a legendary status at Manchester United, so let's get started.

Youth Days
Born from a Polish father and a Danish mother, young Peter started playing soccer for the first time for his local team Gladsaxe, where he was spotted by first division team Hvidovre IF, after having played close to 10 years for the Gladsaxe club, going through all the youth ranks possible.

Although the jump to the first league was an important step in Schmeichel's career, it proved to be unfortunate, as Hvidovre relegated in the second division. Despite the fact that the stay in the second Danish division wasn't too long, as they promoted after only 1 year, with Peter Schmeichel contributing heavily to this, the young goalkeeper didn't want to spend another year at a mid-table team, so when the offer from bigwigs Brondby IF came, he took it without blinking.

Brondby IF
In 1987, as he signed for Brondby, Schmeichel was eager for his first trophies and pulled a great season with the rest of the Brondby defense. He won the championship and struck the interest of the Danish national squad staff.

With local success now achieved, Schmeichel's hunger for trophies moved on the international stage as Brondby set off to a great UEFA Cup campaign in 1991, their run ending in the semi finals, with an unfortunate goal from AS Roma's Rudi Voller in the last minute.

But just like with Hvidovre IF, a downfall was followed by a spectacular jump in his career, as Peter Schmeichel received an offer from England giants Manchester United, who were looking for a goalkeeper at that point.

Manchester United
Life in the Premiership is tough for goalkeepers, as they have to be a lot more physical than in other leagues. Fortunately for Schmeichel, this was one of his strong points and he managed to dominate the English with the rest of Man U's defense.

His trophy tally at Manchester, in a career with the English club that lasted over 8 years, he managed to win everything he could, including 5 Premier League champion titles, three FA Cups and the UEFA Champions League in a superb 1999 season that saw Manchester and Schmeichel win all three competitions they were involved in: the Champions League, the Premier League and the FA Cup.

Although he played for 3 more clubs after finally leaving Manchester in 1999, none of them saw him have as much success as at the Old Trafford side.

Peter Schmeichel Biography – National Side
Since he started playing as a first team component quite early on in his career, Schmeichel managed to gather up 129 caps and even 1 goal for his national side. He was also a crucial component in the 1992 Denmark team that won the European Championship and he was voted World's Best Goalkeeper twice, in 1992 and 1993, these awards being a direct result of his performances for the Danish squad.

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