GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) – Celtic’s Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel fears his career could be over after requiring two shoulder surgeries and up to a year of rehabilitation.
Schmeichel, 39, said he was diagnosed by a specialist on Monday. He has missed Celtic’s last five games after aggravating a long-standing left shoulder injury in last month’s Europa League game against Stuttgart.
“Just a little body blow,” Schmeichel told the CBS Sports Golazo Network late Tuesday. “I tore my bicep, tore my rotator cuff, dislocated my shoulder, tore my labrum. Everything is gone…It’s going to be 10 to 12 months of rehab.
“I really don’t know how to react to this,” he added. “Because I could have played in the last football game of my life. I have been a football player since I was born. Such thoughts are devastating. At the moment it is very difficult to organize my thoughts.”
Schmeichel, who will miss next week when Denmark competes in the World Cup play-offs, said he would undergo surgery on Friday and vowed to fight to continue his career.
“My mind is like, ‘Okay, I’ll try my best to see if I can get back,'” he said.
“If I could come back from an injury like this, it would probably be one of the greatest feats of my career. I’m going to fight, I’m going to try the best I can.”
Schmeichel, the son of Manchester United great Peter Schmeichel, was part of the Leicester side that won the Premier League in unforgettable style in 2016 and the FA Cup five years later. He then played for Nice and Anderlecht before joining Celtic in 2024.
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