Peter Schmeichel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Peter Schmeichel

Schmeichel in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth	(1963-11-18) 18 November 1963 (age 61)
Place of birth	Gladsaxe, Denmark
Height	1.93 m
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1972–1975	Høje-Gladsaxe
1975–1979	Hero
1979–1981	Gladsaxe-Hero
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1981–1984	Gladsaxe-Hero	46	(0)
1984–1987	Hvidovre	78	(6)
1987–1991	Brøndby	119	(2)
1991–1999	Manchester United	292	(0)
1999–2001	Sporting CP	55	(0)
2001–2002	Aston Villa	29	(1)
2002–2003	Manchester City	29	(0)
Total		648	(9)
National team
1987–2001	Denmark	129	(1)
Honours Men's football Representing  Denmark UEFA European Championship Winner 1992 CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions Runner-up 1993
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Peter Bolesław Schmeichel (born 18 November 1963) is a famous Danish former football player. He was a goalkeeper and is known as one of the greatest of all time.

Peter Schmeichel played for the English club Manchester United for eight seasons. During this time, he won 15 trophies, including five Premier League titles and three FA Cups. He also led the team as captain to win the 1999 UEFA Champions League final. This win helped Manchester United achieve the "Treble," meaning they won three major trophies in one season.

Schmeichel also played for the Denmark national team. With Denmark, he won the UEFA European Championship in 1992. He was named the best goalkeeper in the world by the IFFHS in both 1992 and 1993. He was also ranked among the top ten goalkeepers of the 20th century.

Born in Gladsaxe, Denmark, Peter was very tall at 1.93 meters (about 6 feet 4 inches). He was a strong leader on the field. It was unusual for a goalkeeper, but he scored 11 goals during his career, including one for his national team! He played 129 games for Denmark between 1987 and 2001, which was a record for his country for a long time. Besides Euro 92, he played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and three other European Championships. He was captain of the Danish national team in 30 matches.

His career lasted from 1981 to 2003, and he won 24 trophies in total. He played for clubs like Gladsaxe-Hero, Hvidovre, Brøndby, Sporting CP, Aston Villa, and Manchester City. In 2001, a poll by Reuters voted him the best goalkeeper ever. In 2003, he joined the English Football Hall of Fame. His son, Kasper, is also a professional goalkeeper for Celtic and the Danish national team.

Early Life and First Steps in Football

Peter Schmeichel was born in Gladsaxe, Denmark. His mother was Danish, and his father was a Polish jazz musician. Peter became a Danish citizen in 1970. His middle name, Bolesław, came from his great-grandfather.

He grew up in Buddinge, Denmark, and started playing football at age 8 for a team called Høje-Gladsaxe. His team had a great run, staying unbeaten for two and a half years! After this, he joined BK Hero, a bigger youth team. In 1979, BK Hero merged with Gladsaxe BK to form Gladsaxe-Hero BK. This gave Peter a chance to play for the Zealand Football Association's junior team.

Before becoming a full-time professional footballer, Peter worked different jobs. He worked in a textile factory, as a cleaner, and even for the World Wildlife Fund. He also worked for his father-in-law's flooring company. Eventually, he got a job with an advertising firm owned by the chairman of Hvidovre, a football club. This was his last job before he became a professional footballer with Brøndby.

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out: Gladsaxe-Hero and Hvidovre

Peter Schmeichel moved up to the senior team at Gladsaxe-Hero. There, he met his first mentor, Svend Aage Hansen, who was the team's coach and later became his father-in-law. Even though Gladsaxe-Hero was struggling, Peter's good performances were noticed.

He then moved to Hvidovre, where he even scored six goals as a goalkeeper! After one season, Hvidovre was relegated, but they quickly returned to the top division. Peter then decided to join Brøndby.

Success with Brøndby

In 1987, Schmeichel joined Brøndby. In his five seasons there, the team won the Danish 1st Division four times. A big moment for him at Brøndby was in the 1990–91 UEFA Cup. He was a key player as the team reached the semi-finals, keeping seven clean sheets (not letting the other team score) in the competition. Brøndby was knocked out by Roma, but Peter's skills were clear. He was ranked among the top 10 goalkeepers in the world in 1991.

Legendary Years at Manchester United

Schmeichel in July 1991, shortly after joining Manchester United

In 1991, Manchester United signed Peter Schmeichel for about £505,000. Their manager, Alex Ferguson, later called this "the bargain of the century." Peter was not very well known outside Denmark at the time. In his first season, Manchester United finished second in the league and won the Football League Cup. Peter was named the world's best goalkeeper in 1992.

In the 1992–93 season, Peter's amazing 22 clean sheets helped United win the Premier League title. This was the club's first top league trophy in 26 years! He was again named the world's best goalkeeper in 1993.

Peter and United won the Premier League again in the 1993–94 season, and also the FA Cup. They almost won a domestic treble, but lost the League Cup final.

Peter ended his Manchester United career in the best way possible. In 1999, the club won the "Treble": the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League. In the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal, Peter saved a penalty kick in the last minutes, which helped United win. In the Champions League final, with captain Roy Keane suspended, Peter captained the team. United were losing 1–0 to Bayern Munich until the very end of the game. Peter even ran into the opponent's penalty area for a corner kick to try and cause confusion. Teddy Sheringham scored to make it 1–1, and then Ole Gunnar Solskjær scored the winning goal just seconds later! Peter celebrated with a joyful cartwheel.

After Peter left, Manchester United found it hard to find a replacement for him for many years.

Moving to Sporting CP and Aston Villa

After leaving Manchester United in 1999, Peter wanted a slower pace of football. He moved to Sporting CP in Portugal. In his first season, he helped them win the 1999–2000 Primeira Liga title, which was their first championship in 18 years!

In 2001, Peter returned to England to play for Aston Villa. On 20 October 2001, he made history by becoming the first goalkeeper to score a Premier League goal. He scored from a corner kick in a match against Everton.

Final Club: Manchester City

In 2002, Peter joined Manchester City. This was a surprise move because of his history with their rivals, Manchester United. However, he had a great season with City. During his time there, Manchester City did not lose any of their matches against Manchester United. This means Peter never lost a Manchester derby game in his career!

Peter announced his retirement from football in April 2003.

International Career with Denmark

Peter Schmeichel played his first game for the Denmark national team in May 1987. He became Denmark's main goalkeeper at UEFA Euro 1988.

He was a key player when Denmark won the Euro 92 tournament. Denmark had not even qualified for the tournament originally, but they replaced Yugoslavia, who were banned. Peter made many important saves during the tournament. In the semi-finals against the Netherlands, he saved a penalty kick from Marco van Basten in the shootout, which sent Denmark to the final. In the final, he made more amazing saves, helping Denmark beat Germany 2–0 and win the championship!

Peter also played for Denmark in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He became the most-capped player for Denmark during this tournament. Denmark reached the quarter-finals but lost a close game to Brazil.

He scored his only goal for the Danish national team from a penalty kick in a friendly match against Belgium in June 2000. He played for Denmark at Euro 2000, and then announced his retirement from the national team in February 2001. His last game was his 129th international appearance, a 3–0 win against Slovenia, where he was captain and received a standing ovation.

Peter Schmeichel's Playing Style

Many experts and other goalkeepers consider Peter Schmeichel one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. He was tall, strong, and had a large frame, but he was also very athletic and quick. He was famous for his "star jump" saves, where he would spread his arms and legs wide to cover as much of the goal as possible. He reportedly learned this technique from playing handball.

He was excellent at stopping shots, positioning himself well, and controlling his penalty area. He was also brave and would often rush out to challenge attackers or claim crosses. Peter was a strong leader and would often talk loudly to his defenders to organize them. He was also good at saving penalty kicks.

Besides his goalkeeping skills, he was good with the ball at his feet and could start quick counter-attacks with his long, accurate throws and kicks. What was really unusual for a goalkeeper is that he would often go forward for corner kicks when his team was losing. He scored 11 goals in his career this way! One famous example was in a UEFA Cup match for Manchester United in 1995, where he scored in the last minutes to tie the game 2–2.

Life After Football

After retiring from playing, Peter Schmeichel became the owner of his childhood club, Hvidovre IF, for a few years.

He also worked as a football expert and commentator for TV channels like the BBC and TV3+ in Denmark. He hosted quiz shows and the European version of the TV program Dirty Jobs.

Peter Schmeichel plays the piano as a hobby. He even joined singer Robbie Williams on stage during a concert in Copenhagen to play the keyboards for a song!

Career Statistics

International Appearances

Score and result list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after Schmeichel goal.

International goal scored by Peter Schmeichel

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	3 June 2000	Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark	Belgium	2–1	2–2	Friendly

Trophies and Awards

Brøndby

• Danish 1st Division/Danish Superliga: 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991
• Danish Cup: 1988–89

Manchester United

• Premier League: 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99
• FA Cup: 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99
• Football League Cup: 1991–92
• FA Charity Shield: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997
• UEFA Champions League: 1998–99
• European Super Cup: 1991

Sporting CP

• Primeira Liga: 1999–2000
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2000

Aston Villa

• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2001

Denmark

• UEFA European Championship: 1992

Individual Awards

• Det Gyldne Bur (Goalkeeper of the Year in the Danish League): 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992
• Danish Football Player of the Year: 1990, 1993, 1999
• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1992
• UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year: 1992, 1993, 1998
• IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper: 1992, 1993
• PFA Team of the Year: 1992–93 Premier League
• Premier League Player of the Season: 1995–96
• UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year: 1997–98
• UEFA Champions League 10 Seasons Dream Team (1992 to 2002): 2002
• English Football Hall of Fame: 2003
• PFA England League Team of the Century (1907 to 2007): 2007
• Most clean sheets in the Premier League: 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98
• Premier League Hall of Fame: 2022
• Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992–93 to 2001–02):
  • Overseas and overall Team of the Decade
  • Save of the Decade (vs. Newcastle, 21 December 1997)
• Premier League 20 Seasons Awards (1992–93 to 2011–12):
  • Fantasy Teams of the 20 Seasons public and panel choice
• FIFA 100
• Danish Football Hall of Fame
• World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time
• Football League 100 Legends

Orders

• Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE): 2001

Images for kids

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  Schmeichel in 2012

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  Schmeichel in July 1991, shortly after joining Manchester United

See also

In Spanish: Peter Schmeichel para niños

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps