What It's Really Like Growing Up in the Premier League's Greatest Goalkeeping Family

BBC Football

Schmeichel father and son on a goalkeeping dynasty, Premier League glory and life after retirement

Peter and Kasper Schmeichel look back at Kasper growing up in Manchester United's goalkeeping family, the Premier League title, their father-son dynamic and how goalkeeping has evolved. They disagree about how much Peter's influence helped or hindered Kasper and about one positional point, but the core is that Kasper proved himself through his career while the goalkeeping pendulum may be swinging back with set pieces.

Two generations of goalkeepers who have won Premier League titles with Manchester United and Leicester City. Peter and Kasper Schmeichel reflect on family, football, trophies and life beyond the game. Follow more on the BBC Sport app, iPlayer and Sounds. ============= Find us here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BBCMOTD X: https://x.com/BBCMOTD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcfootball/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bbcsport bbcfootball

Transcript

I never interfered. I have to say that, but I did it once. I was always half a yard further back. >> He's completely forgotten it. It had nothing to do with that. It was actually on crutches. >> [laughter] >> It wasn't. >> was on crutches, yeah. >> It wasn't. I've got I've got the video. >> Peter Schmeichel says when you look back, winning the Premier League, both 29. Kasper, I'm going to start with you. What do you remember of that moment of watching your dad lift that trophy? >> Uh I remember there was a massive We lived on a little cul-de-sac. There was a massive party. I remember cars everywhere. The whole road being jammed. We were at Steve Bruce's house. >> Yeah. >> I think you had a game the next day. >> We did. We >> You had a game the next day. That's the same way. >> Yeah. >> We won it both by not playing. >> There was a lot of noise. There was a lot of people. It was It was a different time, obviously, before social media, so those the people were coming with the big cameras and and all that kind of thing. So, uh yeah, it was a It was a good night. >> Cuz I've seen a picture you beside you as he's lifting that trophy. >> I would would have been what, six or seven, so didn't really know. I thought that was just >> normal. >> normal. I thought it was just normal, wasn't it? Yeah, I don't know. I mean, we ended up having quite a few of those parties growing up, so uh that was just part of being in the Manchester United family back then. It was that you had a big party at the end of the season cuz there was there was usually a trophy to celebrate. >> What time did we put you to bed? >> I remember that. >> What time was that? >> Well, it was 2:30 cuz that was the first time I'd been allowed to stay up that late. So, that was a big thing. Yeah, it was a big thing. >> Peter, talk to me then about because you know those emotions as a player lifting that trophy, but then finally getting to see Kasper in that moment. What did that mean for you? >> It was a fantastic moment for me. I must have stood there and said, "Dad, I've done that many times in teams that are expected to win, but there's my boy in a team that was by no means expected to win anything, and they've done it and it was a fantastic moment for me. >> Peter, talk to me a bit more about that then, cuz I suppose for you growing up, the pressure of following in your dad's footsteps, the comparisons maybe, cuz it is also a help and a hindrance at times when you were younger. >> I'm probably just dumb naive [snorts] to a lot of it, cuz I never I never thought about it that much. My dad was a footballer, I didn't know any different, that was from the day I was born. My name was Schmeichel, it's not not not going to change, so you know, I just played football cuz I loved playing football. Obviously, people would have a a preconceived notion of what you were like as a person or what you were like as a keeper, they expected things from me that, you know, it just wasn't me. But on the other hand, you know, I got to see some some some high standards and behaviors within not just from from from him, like on a day-to-day basis, I saw what it took to be a professional athlete, but also going to training, watching the best team in the world at the time, Manchester United, how they behaved, how they trained, the intensity, the mentality it required to to become not just a Premier League player, cuz I wasn't that wasn't my goal, my goal wasn't to be a Premier League player, my my goal was to be a winner. I mean, there's nothing better for me than you know, when I was young doing shooting practice and and just standing in the goal getting peppered by by shots all the time. It was It was the best time, so I just yeah, I loved it and I was always going to do it no matter what. >> Peter, what were your expectations on Kasper then? Cuz how did you deal with that as well? >> I I didn't have any expectations. I think that would have been very very unfair for me to because that's pressure. I actually think it's been a hindrance for Kasper that that I was his dad. I think [snorts] a lot of doors has been closed just because of that, unfairly, but I'm I'm so proud that he's he's shown everybody that uh you know, they've they've were wrong, because people didn't know Kasper, people didn't know um [snorts] how good and how talented he is. And I probably looked at him through me, which I think was was uh incredibly unfair. Uh so, I think in many ways it's been a hindrance, but uh yeah, his his career speaks for itself itself, you know, 20 years at the very very highest level, and probably the Premier League's greatest story, um which probably will never be beaten, and he played a major part in that. Plus, and we we can't forget that, you know, FA Cup winner as well. I didn't have and I couldn't have any expectations. I didn't want Kasper to be a footballer. I didn't want him not to be a footballer. I wanted Kasper to have a life where he enjoyed doing what he was doing, and he picked football. And he he's loved football all his life, and I don't think you as a parent you can't do much better than that. And I mean, the biggest thing for me in all of this was not to put any pressure on Kasper. So, one of the things we did really well, and I'm so happy about that, because it means that we are we are Of course, I'm a parent and he's my son, but we're also friends. And the only reason that can and that could have happened over so many years is that we agreed that football shouldn't be between us. It's still father and son. And if you need advice, if you need something from me, come and ask me. I never interfered. I have to say that, but I did it once. I said, "I would like to sometimes just see Kasper's starting position being another half a yard further forward. Is that something you can work on? Is that something you can be brave enough to take on board?" And that's the only time I've ever ever done that. It makes us such a big difference. You know that yourself. If you're in the right position, it just makes football so much easier. >> Go then, Kasper. How did you react to that? >> Goalkeeping evolves all the time, and and the way that goalkeepers used to stop shots, if you look statistically, they they are a lot further forward in their goal back through the '90s and the and the early 2000s than they are now, you know, and I always I didn't have the same height, I didn't have the same frame as he did. So, I I was always half a yard further back because it gave me a little bit more time to react because I felt that my speed could get me there. >> He's completely forgotten. It had nothing to do with that. It was actually on crosses. >> [laughter] >> It wasn't. It was on crosses. It wasn't. I've got I've got the video. I've got the video. I've got the session on video. I've got the exact session on video. So, I can I was >> Oh, yeah. >> Oh, we need to check that out. >> Absolutely. [laughter] Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. >> See, I was going to ask about the Farmers' Arms and how the relationships evolved, but I love that we're still on this, the breakdown, that analyzing of the game. >> do It's true. We we do talk a lot about football, but we've never really talked about us football. Not really. I mean, the important things here is that it was never Oh, you should have done that. Oh, you could have done that. Of Of course, when he's made a really, really good save, you know, of course, I praised him for that like you would anyone would. But, that thing has never been between us, and I think that's been really important. So, he hasn't felt the pressure from me. >> You touched on it just before that you played in different eras and how goalkeeping has evolved. So, talk me through how you see that then from I don't know if you're looking at your dad, then what came next to where we currently are. >> When my dad was playing, football was a lot more about the characters and personalities taking responsibility on the pitch. You know, you can correct me if I'm wrong. It didn't seem to me like it was an hour and a half tactical >> Oh, no. >> you know, meeting before on playing through the thirds, blah blah blah. Back then, it was very much every goalkeeper was 6'3" plus at at least. That was what everybody said to me. You can never play in the Premier League if you're not 6'3" plus. Now, you're seeing that they can, but we're also seeing the evolution. It's coming back because of the corners now. You're wanting bigger keepers. So, it it's constantly ebbing and flowing. It's always changing, and I think that what I've seen and I'm I've seen it uh behind the scenes in a few of the academies of of some of what some teams are experimenting with, but they're playing outfielders in goal. We're seeing keepers in the opposition half now. You know, take when they receive the ball, they're running with the ball like a center half would because now they're creating 11 v versus 10. But I think at the moment, if if we're talking 2026 right now, set pieces is such a massive massive part football, so you have to have keepers that that that can be dominant in the air. And we haven't had that for a long time. And you're seeing someone like Pep Guardiola going away from someone like Ederson, who whose massive force was with his feet, to maybe compromising a little bit with Donnarumma, who maybe isn't as good with his feet as as Ederson, but he has the height, he has the presence, the physical attributes to deal with the the crosses coming in. So, I think we're going to see a slight shift. Which way? I'm really interested to see. I don't know which which way it's going to go, but that depends on on the coaching. >> I want to bring it back to you, Kasper. You have just retired. I think you've described it as a first death for an athlete. Can you explain? >> said that, did you? >> Yeah. Can you explain a little bit? >> athletes die twice. >> Oh, yeah, yeah, that's fine. But you can't say the >> [laughter] >> Explain what you mean by it. >> There's a lot of ways of saying it. >> In my head, I was a footballer since the day I could remember. You know, so my whole life, my whole personality, everything's been defined by football. You know, football's been been everything for me. So, now coming out of it is you know, that's a scary world all of a sudden because it's it's small things. You're you know, you're institutionalized. It's it's little tiny things like actually being in charge of your own time for the first time in my life. You know, as a child, you know, your parents are very much in charge of how your routine is. Then you go to school, then you go but then from for me going straight from school into football, you know, your time is structured all the time. Your time is never your own. Now, you know, you have to you have to figure things out for yourself like an adult, which which is is a is a strange kind of thing to have to do. You know, I'm getting an experience of what real life is like. Uh and it's it's uh it's a really strange thing because what you're searching for is what is next. And that what's going to define you is not necessarily your job, but it's as a person what's going to define the next x amount of years I have left, you know, is It it's it's a it's it's an unknown. And uh it's uh it's an exciting thing, but it's also a scary thing. And the thing I was always acutely aware of, and it's something that everybody said, you've said this to me, you no matter what, your your next career isn't going to be as good as the first one. When you're a footballer, there's there is not going to be anything better to do. And that's that's a that's not the best kind of way to step into the the next life. So, you now have to find a different discipline. But you always had discipline, but you had a goal towards a game or something like that. Now you have to have discipline towards what? And that's the next thing. That's why I describe it as the second life now is >> And there is a big difference between how you retire. I retired due to my own. You retired due to your own choosing, but you've had to retire due to an injury. So, obviously your your your sort of mentality, your mindset is different going into this period. Well, I decided in December. So, I had like 6 months to get used to the idea, and I was ready. I was really really ready. You probably you're not there yet. And I yeah, it's going to be a little bit difficult. You have a very very clear identity as a footballer. We know that. Now all of a sudden I'm doing nothing. And you went to university, you got your degree. So, straight away you were on you were on a course. I went straight into doing media work, but I also took all my badges. So, I had like a direction of some sort, but I had things to do, which is important. This is what we talk about now, that it's important that you that you find certain things to do. Keep yourself busy, but also enjoy what you just said there. Starting to live like a normal human being because that even though and I said this consistently throughout your your career that you will never find a better job and I stay I stand by that, but the next bit is not so bad. >> No, no. Again, I it's an unknown and and but yeah, the difference is obviously I didn't want this. It wasn't It wasn't a decision that I wanted to make. I wanted to keep playing cuz I love playing and I and I still could play, but um you know, you it's not it wasn't when I when I dreamed up my career as a kid, it wasn't the way I thought it would end. But everything that was in between was pretty good. >> So you followed your dad, became an elite professional winning goalkeeper, punditry. I've seen you do a bit of that. Very good at it also. [laughter] Musician. We know you like your music. And actually, do you use music as a way of escaping? >> Yeah, well, we're going to I'm I'm in the process of forming a new band and uh I'm I'm contemplating offering him the microphone. >> Uh we'll see. >> [laughter] >> We'll see then. >> You play a bit, don't you? >> He's a good singer. >> Yeah. >> He's a very very good singer. >> No, I mean, music is a part of our family. You know, my kids play music and obviously you play music, your dad played music and all that. So it's a big part of our family, that's for sure. >> Well, I look forward to seeing what's next. >> Thank you. >> Thanking you both. >> Thanks.