D/O/B: 11/05/1986
Place of Birth: Copenhagen, Denmark
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 6'2 ft
National Team: Denmark
National Team Debut: Denmark vs Macedonia (Feb. 6 2013)
Club Team(s): Manchester City F.C. 2004-2009, Darlington F.C. 2006 (loan), Bury F.C. 2006 (loan), Falkirk FC 2007 (loan), Cardiff City F.C. 2007-08 (loan), Coventry City F.C. 2008 (loan), Notts County F.C. 2009-2010, Leeds United A.F.C. 2010-2011, Leicester City F.C. 2011-present*
Let's get the obvious out of the way. Kasper Schmeichel is the son of goalkeeping icon Peter Schmeichel. Schmeichel senior had a long and successful career minding the net for the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Brøndby and Sporting Lisboa picking up title after title, crafting a legacy that his son Kasper is trying mirror. It will be difficult for him seeing what his father has done but the young Dane has the ability to at least be one of the world's greatest gloveman.
Kasper Peter Schmeichel was born on November 5th 1986 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Kasper spent most of his life in England due to his father's playing career. Young Schmeichel also spent time in Portugal while his father was playing for Sporting Lisboa but it is England where he grew up. He has adopted the culture and even has an English accent.
Schmeichel's dive into the goalkeeping world started at a then humble Manchester City in 2002. The young custodian came through the ranks and signed a long term contract all while in school. The contract spilled over to professional realm and just like that Kasper was a budding pro. As with most young players loan spells are always on the cards and Kasper was no different. So in 2006 the young keeper found himself on the books of Football League Two side Darlington where he made his first senior appearance. Schmeichel played only four games for Darlington before he returned to Manchester City. Determined to get their asset more playing time the Manchester club farmed the Dane out on loan again in the same year. Bury was his next destination where he had two stints, the first of which he logged 15 games for the club. The second spell came the following season in a three month period, whilst there Kasper stepped in to register 14 more games for "The Shakers." The 2007-08 campaign kicked off and Schmeichel found himself on the wander again this time up north in Scotland. Falkirk decided to pick him up on loan where he impressed in his 15 appearances so much so both he and the Scottish club tried to extend his loan. Satisfied with his performances Man City decided to incorporate the Dane in their first team plans soon after the request made.
It was the Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson that handed Kasper his Premier League debut, this against West Ham in August 2007. A game that saw the young Dane register his first clean sheet in the division. Eriksson gave Schmeichel a lengthy run out having him play games against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United, matches that he handled very well. Manchester City rewarded the youngster with a new four year contract, an indication that the player was to be a vital part the club's plans. So it would seem from the start, City's Swedish manager however had options in the goalkeeping department having Joe Hart and Andreas Isaksson along with the young Dane. Eriksson for a time at the time prefer Hart and Isaksson and allowed Schmeichel to go on loan to Cardiff City for the 2007-08 season. There Kasper played 14 games for the Welsh side in a useful cameo. Schmeichel was keen to stay in Wales but Andreas Isaksson's transfer request rang alarm bells at Eastlands so the Premier League outfit was anxious to get Dane back in the side. Despite this Manchester City allowed Cardiff to hold onto Kasper for a few more games. The rest of the campaign Schmeichel found himself on loan again this time for Coventry City where he played few games to round off his season. A season that saw him play for three different sides.
The 2008-09 season was a phantom year for Schmeichel he played little games for the club and was basically Joe Hart's understudy. Unhappy with his role at Manchester City he decided to leave and in the 2009-2010 season the keeper signed for League Two side Notts County joining former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson. It was believed that Schmeichel had broken the club's transfer record with his move and it was also reported that he became the side's highest earning player ever taking home a million a year. Kasper played his first of his 43 games for the club against Dagenham & Redbridge where he held onto a clean sheet helping his side in a 3-0 victory. Everything started well at Notts for him but come the end of the season the League Two team had no choice but to release the keeper, reason being cited as a financial one.
Again on the move Schmeichel landed at Championship side Leeds United for the 2010-11 campaign. The Dane signed a two year deal with the Yorkshire club and on August 7th, 2010 made his debut versus Derby County in a 2-1 loss. Kasper registered 37 games for Leeds in a mundane season. When the campaign came to a close Leeds decided to sell Schmeichel to Leicester City where he now plays. City inked the Dane to a three year contract thanks to Sven Goran Eriksson yet again who was the manager there at the time. Under the Swede in his first season Kasper put in some glittering performances and in his second and third seasons with manager Nigel Pearson in the driver's seat the keeper looks very solid. Schmeichel has already logged over 100 games for the now Championship side and in the 2013-2014 season he is putting Leicester into a favorable position making them genuine title contenders.
Internationally there was talk that Kasper Schmeichel could represent England with the English Football Association seeing if it was a possibility due to his swell performances at Manchester City but that notion was batted away quickly by Schmeichel himself. At youth level Kasper went onto representing Denmark at the U-19, U-20 and U-21 levels. At the senior level he hasn't found it easy going. To date Kasper has only logged two senior appearances for his nation. The first of two came on February 6th 2013 in a 3-0 loss to Macedonia in Skopje. As previously stated the young custodian has found it hard getting into the national team set up due to the prowess of Thomas Sørensen and Anders Lindegaard who were playing well.
This is paragraph is where I get to inject by opinion. I've been looking forward to this since I jotted down the first letter on this page. I want to make clear that I think Kasper Schmeichel is better than most of the goalkeepers walking around Europe today. He is aggressive, technically sound and has personality for the position. Simply, I like him. Do I like the course his career has taken? Of course not. I mean this with respect but Schmeichel is better than, Bury, Falkirk, Darlington, Coventry, Notts County, Leeds and Leicester. I understand he needed these clubs to gain experience but he is such a talent that he deserves better than what he got. Those moments at Manchester City showed how skillful he is and it's unfortunate that City could at least get more game time out of him. As for his national team situation I don't see why he couldn't grab the No.1 jersey right now. He is playing well currently at Leicester which should be a Premier League side for the 2014-15 season, Andreas Lindegaard isn't playing regularly right now and the Danish keepers in Denmark are not faced with the level of competition Kasper faces. He might not be his father but I'm sure Kasper will have a killer career.
Kasper Schmeichel
