“YOU CAN CARRY ON WINNING THE SAME THING FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS, OR YOU CAN LEAVE THE WAY I LEFT . WHAT’S BEST?”
Goalkeepers aren’t supposed to be good at cartwheels – especially not 35-year-old goalkeepers. At the Olympics, it’s likely you won’t spot any gymnasts in their mid-30s, standing at 6ft 4in tall and weighing 16 stone. But Peter Schmeichel was completely lost in the moment.
No matter that the Dane had previously suffered back problems, or that he had just spent the last few minutes legging it up and down the Camp Nou pitch. Manchester United had won the 1999 Champions League Final, and he couldn’t contain himself.
Schmeichel’s celebratory acrobatics have gone down in history, coming only seconds after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had flicked home the winner. “It’s impressive, that cartwheel,” says the goalkeeping legend now, smiling as he chats to FourFourTwo. “And do you know what’s impressive about it? Not that I did it – that’s just what it is. What’s more impressive is that the television director actually got it in live. The camera follows me running around – they didn’t have a clue what I was going to do, because I didn’t have a clue either, but it’s in there. I’m very impressed with that, and quite pleased as well!”
It’s a piece of footage that Schmeichel still cherishes dearly – the moment he became European champion for a second time. After surprise success with Denmark at Euro 92, he had helped United reach the summit of club football and rubber-stamped his greatness once and for all.
“I LEFT DENMARK WITH FOUR TITLES IN FIVE SEASONS – WINNING HAD BECOME MY MAIN SOURCE OF ENERGY”
DENMARK, BLOODY HELL
Schmeichel is actually half Polish – his Danish mother first met his jazz musician father on a holiday to Poland. The couple had settled on the outskirts of Copenhagen by the time Peter was born in 1963.
At nine years old, people started to tell him that he had the potential to play for Denmark one day – such was
