For Father’s Day, our resident goalkeeping father-son duo sat down to talk about the evolution of goalkeepers.
Both Kasper and Peter Schmeichel won the Premier League, and they both represented Denmark as the starting goalkeeper at their World Cups. They have seen it all and have been two of the best goalkeepers in the world during their respective eras. Normally, they keep their keeper talk with each other to their native Danish, but we were lucky enough to get them to go long in English.
During the 2026 World Cup, Peter, 62, and Kasper, 39, sat down and discussed many topics about their position on the pitch. Here is what stood out.
This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.
On The Evolution Of Gloves And Balls:
Peter: Growing up as a goalkeeper, we didn’t have gloves, so gloves came into the game around the time I became a senior player — 18 years of age. I got my first pair of gloves when I was 18. I did use garden gloves in the winter because it was cold, but they didn’t do anything other than keep you relatively warm.
That was a good thing because your catching technique was improved, and then, of course, gloves came in, and it was a little bit weird to begin with, and the quality of the gloves wasn’t great. You had to buy them yourself, relatively expensive, and then you know the foam started to wear off very, very quickly. You looked at this, you knew you couldn’t afford a new pair until six months later. So I opted a few times, even when I was a senior player, to play without gloves.
With the catching and all that — your basic technique was a lot better, but I like to throw the ball. So throwing the ball without gloves made it more accurate, and I could throw it longer. And then, of course, gloves came into the game, and the evolution of that improved, and of course, by the time I started to become a professional player, you couldn’t play without [them].
Peter Schmeichel celebrates successful the English Premier League with Kasper in Could 1994. (John Peters/Manchester United by way of Getty Photographs)
Kasper: I’d examine precisely the altitude we had been taking part in in. I would see what sort of pitch it was. I would be going to the referees to verify they watered the pitch. I would be coaching with the ball for a very long time beforehand. I would be certain which gloves it was, as a result of I took a pair of gloves out of the packet, and so they had been able to go.
I exploit the Vaseline trick. So for those that do not know, most goalkeepers lately — they’re going to have Vaseline on their gloves as a result of Vaseline dries it out somewhat bit, nevertheless it provides unbelievable grip on sure balls. This ball, the World Cup ball, it really works nice when it is moist. It really works nice when it is dry.
In the event you use a Premier League ball, it really works nice when it is moist, not nice when it is dry. So, when you’re in a drier situation, you do one factor. In the event you’re in moist circumstances, you do one other factor.
On Conditioning And Teaching Modifications Over The Years:
Kasper: If you had been with the nationwide groups, that was whenever you had three coaches, and I truly discovered that I did not benefit from the three. I loved it once we had an enormous group of goalkeepers, as a result of I felt I might be taught from others. I would all the time watch and see what I might be taught, however I felt we might make issues extra lifelike.
I watched a whole lot of the stuff you probably did. It was very a lot repetition. You all the time speak to me about repetition, repetition, repetition, about catching. So, my pre-training work can be kicking the ball up towards the wall, simply catching, simply training on a regular basis so it turned muscle reminiscence.
Now, goalkeeper teaching has modified quite a bit. You have watched me prepare, I’ve watched you prepare, and it is barely completely different. So, how was it completely different whenever you performed?
Kasper Schmeichel and Denmark had been eradicated within the spherical of 16 on the 2018 World Cup. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Photographs)
Peter: After I turned knowledgeable soccer participant, we solely had one coach. We did not have an assistant coach. It was one coach and no goalkeeping coach on full-time, however I had a man that I noticed twice per week.
Now, this philosophy is that every part you do as a goalkeeper, coaching ought to be away from the staff. The staff ought to by no means see you do this. Collaborating in every part that the outfield gamers are doing is vital, as a result of it’s a staff on the finish of the day, and they should belief you in each division of soccer.
On Recreation-Altering Keepers Manuel Neuer And Ederson:
Kasper: In my world, there are three people who change goalkeeping ceaselessly, you being the primary. You introduced in a sure model. The best way you modified the sport, it was the domination of the field, and it was the quick counterattacks.
Then we had Manuel Neuer in 2014 with the sweeper keeper, after which we had Ederson taking part in with the ft.
I would be actually to listen to your ideas about Neuer and Ederson. How do you see them? I’ve my view of them. What’s your view of these two and the way they remodeled goalkeeping?
Peter: [The] first time I noticed Neuer reside, he performed for Schalke towards Manchester United, and he performed a blinder. He made an unbelievable save proper on the dying of the sport, which knocked Manchester United out that day. … I am wanting, and I feel, ‘Whoa, this man.’
Manuel Neuer made an impression on Peter Schmeichel when he performed for Schalke 04 towards Manchester United. (Martin Rickett/PA Photographs by way of Getty Photographs)
For a few years, I attempted to influence [former Manchester United manager] Alex Ferguson to signal him, as a result of I noticed him, and I wished any individual to proceed what I did. I felt it was actually vital that we had any individual who might do the identical issues: management the field, get the staff to play greater up the pitch, discover these channels [going forward] when want be. And he had this younger lad right here, completely improbable.
Ederson is taking taking part in along with your ft to the subsequent stage. I’ve by no means seen something like that.
On Their Strategy To Penalty Shootouts:
Kasper: For me, it was all the time about management. We truly used a mentalist, a man that guesses issues that you just’re considering, however they’re placing it in your head. So, we truly requested a type of to see what we are able to truly do to affect a taker, and it will be issues like over emphasizing sure phrases. In a VAR scenario when the referee is out checking, I had an opportunity to speak to the taker. I would overemphasize phrases like over or proper or left, or attempt to do various things that they type of taught us to search for. Can I get some type of affect?
We had confronted a penalty towards Peru within the World Cup 2018. I saved overemphasizing the phrase over, “Do not hit this over,” all these sorts of issues, emphasizing the phrase over. Whether or not it made a distinction, I do not know.
However by the best way, yeah, the ball continues to be going.
Kasper Schmeichel celebrates Christian Cueva’s penalty miss towards Denmark on the 2018 World Cup. (Elsa/Getty Photographs)
Peter: I ended up in fairly just a few penalty shootouts, and I all the time thought, “I’ve no management right here,” so I wanted to realize somewhat little bit of management. All this play-acting and making an attempt to get that was not for me. How do I get management?
Nicely, the whistle blows after additional time. It is gone. I do know it is a penalty shootout. I have never obtained a clue who the 5 will probably be. I do not know every time they step up, which foot they are going to hit it with. I do not know the place they’re gonna hit it. I do not know what top after which what tempo.
So, how do I get management in that scenario? Nicely, I all the time make my thoughts up. “OK, I am dealing with 5 penalties at this time. I will go two to the left, one to the precise, one to the left, and one to the precise,” and I’d stick by that. That is my lottery.
On The place The Goalkeeper Place Is Headed Subsequent:
Kasper: The occasions are altering on a regular basis now. Soccer goes in developments.
What does the subsequent goalkeeper appear to be? For me, we’re now seeing gamers popping out of academies which are being launched that are not perhaps ok to be outfield, and so they’re taking a look at their bodily profile and saying, “Can we remodel them to be goalkeepers?” As a result of we have had the massive, tall goalkeepers that had been very dominant within the air.
We went to among the smaller ones, superb with their ft. Now, with the set items again once more, we’ll the marginally taller ones.
So, I am taking a look at it, considering we’ll see a combination between a Neuer, [Real Madrid and Belgian keeper] Thibaut Courtois and an Ederson. We’re in search of 6-foot-4 guys, 6-foot-6 guys that may do this.
Peter: I feel the requirement of with the ability to management your field higher goes to come back again in. You all the time have to take a look at somebody like Pep Guardiola, what he is considering. So, when he introduced [Italian keeper] Gianluigi Donnarumma to Manchester Metropolis, it was due to Arsenal’s dominance on set items. So, he additionally introduced Abdukodir Khusanov in, who’s an enormous tall man. He began to play Nico O’Reilly, who’s even taller. He additionally had Rúben Dias, Erling Harland — massive, tall gamers.
If you distinction that to the staff that he’d had at Barcelona, when no person was greater than 150, 175 centimeters, they had been small guys, very fast on their ft. He is considering, “Nicely, now now we have any individual considering on set items, we are able to now take benefit and rating targets. Nicely, I will contract that. I will put some massive guys in there, so you do not have an opportunity.” In that, you encourage your goalkeepers to truly come out and punch the ball or catch the ball.
Peter Schmeichel appeared on the 1998 World Cup for Denmark. (Mark Sandten/Bongarts/Getty Photographs)
And I do not assume, for the time being, within the Premier League, there’s anybody higher than Donnarumma. It does not appear to be he is obtained it below management, however belief me, he has. He will get on the market for each ball, and he simply punches it away, massive, robust. …
Now, when everybody [is] focusing a lot on set items, I feel it turns into extra vital {that a} goalkeeper can truly come out and punch the ball or catch it. And I feel due to the opposite factor you mentioned, are we going to see extra lengthy balls? I feel we’ll see much more direct play, as we have already seen on this World Cup, which I actually, actually do welcome.
