Kasper Schmeichel’s iconic moments for Leicester City, Manchester City and Denmark

Since joining Leicester a decade ago, Schmeichel has firmly established himself as the number one choice for both club and country.

Exuding a likeable personality, Kasper Schmeichel is a competitive and determined goalkeeper performing at the highest level. Schmeichel has won Championship titles, lifted the FA Cup, played in World Cups and the Champions League as well as winning the Premier League against all odds.

For so long in the shadows of his famous father, Kasper Schmeichel is now finally getting the recognition he deserves.

His commanding presence, mixed with his leadership skills and shot-stopping ability have made him one of the most talented and consistent goalkeepers in the Premier League, if not the world.

A player with many personal and collective accolades, here at Planet Sport we look at Schmeichel's best moments for club and country.

Premier League debut

Although his dad, Peter Schmeichel, made himself a Manchester United legend in the near 10 years he spent at Old Trafford, it was on the blue side of the city where Kasper came through the ranks. 

Peter, did though, controversially finish his career with a season at Manchester City between 2002 and 2003, just four years before his son made his first team debut in 2007 in the Premier League against West Ham.

Kasper went on to play the first seven games of the 2007/08 season, keeping clean sheets against West Ham, Aston Villa, Derby County and in a huge 1-0 victory over his dad's beloved Manchester United.

Despite only making eight appearances for City, Schmeichel managed to find more game time through permanent moves to Notts County and Leeds United, before eventually signing for his current club, Leicester City.

The goal that never was

While playing as a goalkeeper, Kasper's father, Peter, scored 13 goals in his career. Although it is unlikely Kasper will ever reach that outstanding tally, he was wrongly robbed from having at least one to his name.

Schmeichel came up for a last-minute corner for Leicester in 2014 against Yeovil and rattled the crossbar with a header before the ball then crossed the line. 

However, the referee refrained from awarding the goal until Chris Wood poked the ball further over the line, limiting Kasper to a rather disappointing assist.

The goal, regardless of who it was awarded to, helped Leicester continue their Championship promotion chase and meant they stretched their remarkable unbeaten run to 18 matches.

Record-breaking Championship season

Schmeichel and his Leicester team-mates helped the Foxes to the club's highest ever points haul (102), as well as most wins (31) and most consecutive wins (9).

The 102 points amassed meant Leicester City won the 2013/14 Championship title and Schmeichel, alongside Wes Morgan and Danny Drinkwater, was named in the PFA Championship Team of the Season.

Unlikely escape

However, Kasper managed to return to action for the Foxes just in time, with many suggesting Leicester were on track for a quick return back to the Championship. 

His return coincided with a superb run of seven wins out of nine matches to help preserve his team's status in the top flight of English soccer.

In April, Kasper played five matches, four of which Leicester won, with two clean sheets in the process. Schmeichel's individual performances were recognised wih a nomination for Premier League Player of the Month.

5,000/1 Premier League champions

Perhaps the greatest sporting underdog story of all time saw Leicester City win the 2015/16 Premier League title under Claudio Ranieri -their first ever top-flight trophy.

At the age of 29, Schmeichel had established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the league and he kept 15 clean sheets after initially not keeping one until their tenth match of the season, versus Crystal Palace. 

Following Leicester's unconvincing defending at the start of the season, Claudio Ranieiri offered his players pizza as a reward when they managed their first clean sheet. Ranieri's Italian temptation worked wonders, and Leicester's defence went from strength to strength.

Leicester's title win has well and truly cemented its place in sporting history. But for Kasper, details of the win made it even more sweeter. Following in his father's footsteps, Kasper won the league at the same age and on the same date as his father's first Premier League title success in 1993.

Champions League run

Leicester finished in top place of Group G in the 2016/17 season ahead of Porto, Club Brugge and Copenhagen. This led to a round-of-16 clash with Spanish side Sevilla, in which they would progress 3-2 on aggregate.

Schmeichel certainly played his part in the Foxes' progression to the quarter-final stage. He saved a penalty in each leg of the tie, from Joaquin Correa and Stephen N'Zonzi, respectively.

Unfortunately for Schmeichel, Leicester came up short against other Spanish opponents at the quarter-final stage, in the form of Atletico Madrid, who won 2-1 on aggregate.

In 2018, Schmeichel was once again awarded a new deal at Leicester, this time a five-year contract that will run until 2023.

World Cup man of the match

After making his international debut at the age of 27 in 2013, Schmeichel had firmly established himself as first-choice keeper for his native Denmark by the time of the 2018 World Cup. 

The keeper played in all four matches for Denmark before they were knocked out on penalties in the round of 16 against Croatia.

In Denmark's first match against Peru, Schmeichel picked up the man-of-the-match award for a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory.

The clean sheet also helped Schmeichel secure the record for minutes without conceding a goal for Denmark, surpassing his father's previous mark of 532 minutes.

In the round of 16, Schmeichel put in another excellent performance, earning his second man of the match of the tournament. He saved a Luka Modric penalty in extra time as well as two saves in the shootout itself. However, it was not enough to see his country reach the quarter-final stage.

Ever-present

Schmeichel's consistent performances have been reflected in his numbers. The Danish keeper was an ever-present for his side in the 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns as Leicester established themselves among the Premier League elite.

Captain and FA Cup winner

With regular captain Wes Morgan not featuring regularly for Leicester, the duty has been passed over to Schmeichel. With over 300 appearances for the Foxes and 10 years at the club, Schmeichel is very much considered the leader of the Leicester outfit.

The Dane led his club out at Wembley in the 2021 FA Cup final against Chelsea. Schmeichel contributed hugely on the pitch, keeping a clean sheet and making a number of outstanding saves.

Youri Tielemans' excellent long-range second-half strike resulted in a 1-0 victory for the Foxes. allowing Schmeichel to lift the trophy for the first time in the club's long history.