PETER SCHMEICHEL

Full Name Peter Boleslaw Schmeichel
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
Total 392 178

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

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.

Why was Schmeichel so special?

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.

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.


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!

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.

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 the answer to that question perhaps be 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.