Peter Schmeichel

About

Peter was voted the “World’s Best Goalkeeper” in 1992 and 1993. He is best remembered for his most successful years at English club Manchester United, whom he captained to the 1999 UEFA Champions League to complete the Treble, and for winning UEFA Euro 1992 with Denmark.

Peter Schmeichel (Peter Bolesław Schmeichel MBE) had to work a number of jobs to make ends meet before becoming a professional footballer, . His first job came in the dyeing department of a textile factory, but his concerns with the factory’s policy on safety eventually forced him to hand in his notice.

Schmeichel played the bulk of his career for United, eight years in total. With United, Schmeichel won five FA Premier League titles, three FA Cups, one League Cup, and the UEFA Champions League.
The IFFHS ranked Schmeichel among the top ten keepers of the 20th century in 2000, and in 2001.

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.

He holds the record for the greatest clean sheets-to-games ratio in the Premier League with 42% of the games he played in the league ending without his team conceding.

Schmeichel played his last active year for Manchester City during the 2002–03 season. Schmeichel’s record in the Manchester derby is exceptional, in that he was never on the losing side.

He also took part in Soccer Aid, and played for the Rest of the World team, who lost 2–1 after he was substituted at half-time. Schmeichel was a contestant on the 2006 series of the BBC’s popular Saturday night TV programme Strictly Come Dancing, but was voted out by the public on his 43rd birthday.
In February 2007, he became the host in a new quiz, on TV3 named 1 mod 100 (the Danish version of 1 vs. 100). In 2008, he became the host of the European version of the Discovery Channel programme, Dirty Jobs.

One of the most respected figures in footballing history, Peter Schmeichel is in demand as an after dinner speaker and event host.