Schmeichel: Kasper
2010-Current
(Player Details)
Goalkeeper
Born: Copenhagen: 05-11-1986
Debut: Nil
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 Scmeichel 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 has played seventeen games for the Denmark Under-Twenty-One
team.