Kasper Schmeichel receives support on CBS (Image: CBS Sports)
Kasper Schmeichel has disclosed his career could be over after receiving ‘devastating’ injury news. The Celtic goalkeeper initially dislocated his shoulder whilst playing for Denmark against Portugal a year ago, but was forced to remain on the pitch as the Danes had exhausted all their substitutions. Schmeichel has been managing the injury, but acknowledged that he aggravated it further during Celtic’s 4-1 Europa League loss to VFB Stuttgart, with Viljami Sinisalo standing in since.
He completed the full 90 minutes in the Hoops’ home loss to Hibs two days afterwards, but that could well be his final ever career appearance after revealing he’ll require two operations to rectify the problem and will be sidelined for up to a year. With his Parkhead contract expiring in the summer and Schmeichel turning 40 later this year, he’s confronting the reality that he may have pulled on his gloves for the last time. He told the CBS Golazo show: « I was at a specialist yesterday and basically I’m going to need two surgeries now to fix my shoulder which, which is a bit of a body blow.
« I’ve torn the bicep, torn the rotator cuff, dislocated the shoulder, torn the labrum. Everything’s kind of gone. To put it in terms you can understand, it’s like an outfielder doing their ACL and their Achilles at the same time.
« So it’s looking like 10 to 12 months of rehab so it’s been a strange few days. You don’t really know how to react to this because I could have potentially played my last ever football game. I’ve been a footballer since the day I was born and that kind of thought is devastating.
« It’s very, very hard to wrap my head around at the moment. I was watching the keepers warm up and thinking I might never get to do that again, so in that sense it was a tough night.
« It’s been emotional and as much as you guys have been nice, I haven’t enjoyed a single minute of it because you’re looking at what could be waiting for you.
« Not that it’s not good in other ways, but I’ve been a footballer ever since I can remember and to think that I might not be able to do that again, that’s a tough one.
« I got the message yesterday that it could potentially be the end of my career because of my age. By the time I could potentially be back fit I’d be plus 40.
Kasper Schmeichel may have played his final game (Image: Getty)
« I grew up through this generation, watching guys that played football with their hearts. I’ve played through countless injuries and right now my mind is like ‘okay, yeah, I’m going to give it absolutely everything I can,’ to get back.
« It would probably be one of the greatest feats of my career if I could ever get back from an injury like this and I’m going to fight, do everything I can do, do the rehab.
« But right now, the first surgery is next Friday. That’s going to be the first surgery and then the big one will be whenever the surgeons say.
« I’m going to try. We’ve all played with injuries – I had three screws in my knee at 16 and I’ve played more than 900 games with it. I’ve come through the old school where you play through injuries.
« I felt it in a game about six weeks ago when I dislocated it and like a fool, I was just thinking about these World Cup playoffs for Denmark, I’ve got to get there. So I took the injections, took the pills to numb the pain and tried to get through it. »
« The consultant’s words were ‘are you alright in the head?’ Football means everything to me. It’s been my whole life, it’s been my whole identity so there’s a lot of things right now to try and wrap my head around but emotions are all over the show at the moment. But I’m trying to keep my mind busy. »
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