Peter Schmeichel is one of the greatest footballers of all time – so much that it’s hard to argue with Alex Ferguson’s assessment of him in later years as “the bargain of the century”, having plucked the great Dane from Brondby for a paltry £505,000 in July 1991.
Fergie nabbed a few of those in his time – practically stealing Eric Cantona from Leeds for £1.2 million just over a year later – so such a statement was an almighty measure of Schmeichel’s remarkable success at Manchester United.
In eight years at Old Trafford, United’s unflappable No.1 won it all: five Premier League titles, three FA Cups, the League Cup and most memorably, that momentous 1999 Champions League title in his final game for the club.
Now, Schmeichel – also a 1992 European Championship winner for his country against all odds – has documented his amazing life in new book One: My Autobiography. What’s more, the Dane will be sharing his journey in conversation with live dates at the London Palladium, Manchester’s O2 Apollo and DeMontfort Hall in Leicester.
If you’re not able to make any of those dates in person, though, don’t worry: the London event on October 3 will be recorded and broadcast via Fane Online that evening.
In his new book, Schmeichel offers unrivalled insight into life at England’s biggest club, recalling his glory days with the likes of Cantona, David Beckham and Ferguson – not all of which were always quite so plain sailing.
He also reveals how he nearly died aged 15, and recalls a turbulent relationship with his father, an alcoholic Polish musician. His life after football, seldom straightforward, is explored with astonishing candour.
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