Schmeichel: Kasper

2010-2011 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

Goalkeeper

Born: Copenhagen: 05-11-1986

Debut v Derby County (h): 07-08-2010

6’1” 13st 2lb (2010)

The son of former Manchester United and Denmark legendary goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel, began his football career as a trainee with Manchester City, the club which his father was playing with at the time, in July 2003 at the age of sixteen. Schmeichel was called up for the Danish Under-Nineteen team in August 2004, and made his international debut in a 0–0 draw with Northern Ireland on 2nd September 2004. He went on to play eight Under-nineteen internationals until March 2005. He was called up for the Under-Twenty team in October 2005. After playing with the City Juniors he was loaned to Darlington on 13th January 2006 and made four appearances before returning at the end of the month. He was then loaned to Bury on 21st February 2006 for the rest of the season and played fifteen League games. He returned to Bury on loan for three months on 24th August 2006, playing another fourteen League games. On 5th October 2006 he made his Danish Under-Twenty debut in a 3-1 win over Norway, during his time at Bury. The day after his under-Twenty debut, Schmeichel was asked to train with the senior Denmark national football team and was called up as a replacement for injured Theis Rasmussen in the Danish under-21 national team squad. After returning from Bury he was then loaned to Scottish club Falkirk for the rest of the season, making fifteen League, one Scottish Cup and one Scottish League Cup appearances. Injuries to Sweden international Andreas Isaksson and England Under-21 keeper Joe Hart promoted Schmeichel to the first team at the start of the 2007-08 campaign. He appeared to have made the Manchester City No.1 jersey his own, as he made his City debut on 11th August 2007 at West Ham United and kept the first clean sheet of many that were to follow in his League career. There were clean sheets in a 1-0 home wins over Derby County and in the Manchester derby with United. City's winning run and clean sheets came to an end with a 1-0 defeat at Arsenal, but Schmeichel was proving his ability, saving a Robin Van Persie penalty in the game, and had conceded only two goals in his first six appearances. But after conceding three goals at Fulham in his seventh game he was replaced by Joe Hart, another fine goalkeeping prospect, who had returned from injury. He signed a new four year contract with City on 23rd September 2007, but chose to go on loan to CCCL side Cardiff City on 25th October 2007, as he had lost his first team spot to Joe Hart and Andreas Isaksson was also back in the frame. The loan was for one month but he wanted to remain at Cardiff for the rest of the season, but the possible departure of Andreas Isaksson meant that Schmeichel was recalled from his loan spell, after fourteen League games on 2nd January 2008. The departure did not eventuate and Schmeichel was allowed to go on loan to Coventry City on 14th March 2008 for the rest of the season, where he made nine League appearances. Schmeichel was not happy at Eastlands Stadium and regretted signing the four-year contract. His only games were on 24th September 2008 in a League Cup game at Brighton & Hove Albion and, on 16th November 2008, Schmeichel came on as a substitute after Joe Hart injured his ankle in the fourteenth minute of a League game at Hull City. On 4th January 2009, he stated in the Daily Mail newspaper that he was ready to quit the football club after falling down the pecking order at the club. The signing of Republic of Ireland International Shay Given in January 2009 meant that Schmeichel fell even further down the pecking order at City, and on 14th August 2009, Schmeichel signed for League Two side Notts County and linked up with former manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. He made his debut on 22nd August and kept a clean sheet in the side's 3–0 win over Dagenham & Redbridge at Meadow Lane. A fine string of performances in October earned Schmeichel the "Player of the Month" award. He went on to play forty-three League, five F.A. Cup and one Johnstone's Paint Trophy games as County were crowned Champions of League Two. Due to financial difficulties, the club announced that they were prepared to release Schmeichel even though he had four years left on his contract. Schmeichel was reported to be earning £15,000 a week, having been signed during the brief ownership period of high-spending Munto Finance in the summer of 2009. Schmeichel agreed to forgo all his future wages. On 27th May 2010, after being linked with both EPL and Bundesliga clubs, Schmeichel signed a two year contract with Leeds United. He joined the club on 1st July 2010. He had played seventeen games for the Denmark Under-Twenty-One team. He soon settled at Leeds and after some good pre-season performances he was given the Number One shirt ahead of incumbent Shane Higgs. He made his debut in the opening fixture of the season in a 1-2 home defeat by Derby County and despite the disappointment of a defeat the Leeds fans saw a new idol in the making with Schmeichel showing his ability with some stunning and spectacular saves. The form was maintained and he was nominated for the Championship "Player of the month" for August, and although he did not win the award he did gain consolation by winning the equivalent Sky Sports award. The keeper had picked up a foot injury and tried to play through it but Manager Simon Grayson was taking no chances and brought in Jason Brown as cover and sidelined Schmeichel until he had fully recovered. He missed his first game on 11th September 2011 and it was not until he had missed eight games that he was considered fit enough to return on 25th October 2011 and he could not stop United going down 0-4 in a home game with Cardiff City. He had only played two games since returning when he missed one more, this time he missed the 3-2 win at Coventry City on 6th November, when after being picked, he withdrew as he wife was expecting their first child the evening before the game. He did not miss another game that season, finishing with thirty-seven League starts together with two in the F.A. Cup and one in the League Cup. Probably his stand-out performances of the season came in the F.A. Cup when he stood between Arsenal and their passage to the Fourth Round at the Emirates Stadium and was acknowledged as the man of the match. It was much the same in the Elland Road Replay as he was named the Player of the Third Round. After a stellar season with United, on 13th May 2011, he was called up to the Denmark full International squad. He did not take the field in that match and was to sit out several games on the bench. He still had a year to run on his contract at Leeds, but the thought of the saving of his wages and a handsome transfer fee saw Leeds agree to his sale on 20th June 2011. Schmeichel was understandably upset at the change of events but accepted that it was a good career move, and so it proved to be. His comments were "It is with great disappointment that I have learned that Leeds United have accepted an offer from Leicester. I was enjoying being a Leeds United player and was looking forward to winning promotion this season with the club. I have spoken to the manager Simon Grayson and he has made it clear to me, that, in spite of having played well for him, this is something he believes is a good deal for Leeds United. I have been put in a very difficult situation and will spend some time considering my options for my future." At the end of his first season with Leicester in 2011-12, after being ever-present as the club's goalkeeper, he was named the club's Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year. On 29th May 2012 he was included in the Denmark squad for the 2012 UEFA Euro squad. Once more he was restricted to the bench, but after being called up to the Danish squad for the World Cup Qualifiers, he gained his first cap in a friendly 0-3 loss to Macedonia at Nacionalna Arena Filip II, Makedonski, in front of a crowd of 7,000 on 6th February 2013. His second season at Leicester saw him once more ever-present and in excellent form as he was named in the PFA Championship Team of the Season. In the 2013-14 season, his third with Leicester, he was again ever-present as Leicester finished as Champions of the Championship and gained promotion to the EPL. He was again named in the PFA Championship Team of the Season and attracted the attention of teams such as Manchester United and AC Milan and wisely the Foxes gave him a new four year contract in June 2014. His second Danish cap had come in the World Cup Qualifiers as he was given his chance at Parken Stadium in front of 11,479 and he kept a cleansheet as Denmark triumphed 6-0 over Malta on 15th October 2013. His third cap came in another memorable performance on 5th March 2014 as Denmark held England to 0-1 at Wembley before a crowd of 68,573. He was now established as one of the best goalkeepers in the EPL and reconised as Denmark's Number One. His caps soon increased to nine with two friendlies, a 1-0 win over Sweden at the Parken Stadium on 28th May 2014 and a 1-2 home loss to Turkey at TRE-FOR Park in Odense on 3rd September 2014. This was followed by four Group One European Qualifiers, a 2-1 win over Armenia at the Parken Stadium, four days later, a 1-1 draw with Albania at the Elbasen Arena on 11th October 2014, a 0-1 defeat by Portugal at the Parken Stadium three days later, and a 3-1 win over Serbia at the Partizan Stadium, Belgrade on 14th November 2014. In the build up for the 13th December 2014 home clash with Manchester City, Schmeichel had a training mishap on the Thurday which resulted in him having to have surgery the following day for a broken metatarsal. It was expected to keep him out of action for six weeks. At that point he had started one hundred and fifty-two League games, nine F.A. Cup ties, seven League Cup ties and two Championship Play-off games.