Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has announced his retirement due to a shoulder injury.

Danish goalkeeper and Leicester City legend Kasper Schmeichel announced on Wednesday that he will officially retire at the end of this season.

Kasper Schmeichel, 39, is the son of Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel and officially joined Manchester City's youth academy in September 2002. He made his professional debut for Darlington in League Two on January 14, 2006, and subsequently played for Bury, Falkirk, Cardiff City, Coventry City, Notts County, Leeds United, Leicester City, Nice, Anderlecht, and Celtic.

To date, Kasper Schmeichel has made 817 club appearances, keeping 270 clean sheets. He led Leicester City to one Premier League title, one FA Cup, and one Community Shield, and in the twilight of his career, he helped Celtic win two Scottish Premiership titles and one Scottish League Cup.

At the national team level, Kasper Schmeichel has also made outstanding contributions. He has made 120 appearances for the Danish national team to date, including three European Championships (2012, 2021, 2024) and two World Cups (2018, 2022).

However, Kasper Schmeichel has been sidelined since January due to a shoulder injury. In an interview with TV 2 Sport, he explicitly stated that his retirement decision was closely related to the injury: "My contract with the Celtics expires in June, at which point I will end my career. This decision wasn't entirely my decision. I consulted several surgeons and specialists about my shoulder injury, and they told me I probably wouldn't be able to return to the top level. After careful consideration, I felt that now was the right time to retire."

He added, “I didn’t realize the situation was this serious in March. It was a long process. I was running around, undergoing various assessments and checks, and clarifying all the possible measures and options. However, the feedback I received was that the feasible solutions were quite limited. Therefore, the focus of the discussion shifted to how I would live from now on.”

"Will I still be able to hold my child? Will I still be able to live a normal life? My original dream and hope was to return to the field. I originally hoped to return to the field through surgery and rehabilitation, to undergo surgery and do my best to win back my place. I also longed to be able to maintain a certain level of competitive performance, but the assessment is that this will be very difficult."

Kasper Schmeichel concluded by saying, “I’m very lucky to have so many good people around me. My life has always revolved around football, but I also have my own life outside of football. Now, I need time to think about my next step. I’m excited about it. I hope everyone knows that I can look at this with an open mind after I finish my professional career. It will be a stage of life full of anticipation. I don’t have any clear plans or ideas for my life after retirement.”

Image source: Internet/Sky Sports UK