Peter Schmeichel

Peter Schmeichel
MBE

Schmeichel in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Peter Bolesław Schmeichel
Date of birth	(1963-11-18) 18 November 1963 (age 60)
Place of birth	Gladsaxe, Denmark
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Position(s)	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	(10)
International career
1987–2001	Denmark	129	(1)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Denmark UEFA European Championship Winner 1992 Sweden CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions Runner-up 1993 Argentina
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Peter Bolesław Schmeichel MBE (born 18 November 1963) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. During eight seasons at English club Manchester United, he won 15 trophies including five Premier League titles, three FA Cups and he captained the club to victory in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final to complete the Treble. Schmeichel also played for the Danish national team, with whom he won the UEFA European Championship in 1992. Regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he was voted the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper in both 1992 and 1993, while the International Federation of Football History & Statistics ranked Schmeichel among the top ten goalkeepers of the 20th century.^[2]

Born in Gladsaxe, Copenhagen, Schmeichel is 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) tall and weighed close to 100 kg (15 st 10 lb) during his playing days, and wore specially-made size XXXL football shirts.^[3] A fierce competitor, he often loudly criticised perceived mistakes by his defenders.^[4] Unusual for a goalkeeper, he scored 11 goals during his career, including one for the national team. He was also the most capped player for the Denmark national team, with 129 games between 1987 and 2001, until he was overtaken by Simon Kjær in 2023. In addition to Euro 92, he played for his country at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and three additional European Championship tournaments. He captained the national team in 30 matches. He also represented Gladsaxe-Hero, Hvidovre, Brøndby, Sporting CP, Aston Villa and Manchester City in a career that lasted from 1981 until 2003 and yielded 24 trophies.

In 2001, Schmeichel won a public poll held by Reuters, in which the majority of the 200,000 participants voted him as the best goalkeeper ever, ahead of Lev Yashin and Gordon Banks.^[5] In 2003, Schmeichel was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his impact on the English game. In March 2004, he was named as one of the "125 greatest living footballers", at the FIFA 100 celebrations. Schmeichel's son, Kasper, is also a professional goalkeeper, currently playing for Scottish side Celtic and the Danish national team.