How Celtic star dealt with personal criticism that crossed a line - 'I live in this beautiful world'
Life was easier in the nineties, insists veteran goalkeeper
Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has found that ignorance is bliss when it comes to coping with the type of personal criticism that followed his last appearance for Denmark.
Schmeichel was compared to a child with polio and had his physique ridiculed in a widely-condemned article published by a Danish media outlet after the 5-2 defeat to Portugal in the Nations League quarter-final in March.
This despite the 38-year-old playing on after suffering a fractured shoulder during extra-time so that his team - who had used all their substitutes - would not be left with 10 men.
The Danish PFA strongly condemned the piece, branding it a deeply offensive and unacceptable personal attack, while Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers also defended his player against the smears.
Schmeichel himself has maintained a dignified silence on the matter and insists that simply ignoring whatever is said or written about him has served him well throughout his career.
"I was born in the 80s and I grew up in the 90s and I genuinely believe it is the best era to have been a child because we had technology, but we didn't have internet," he said. "We didn't have phones, and we weren't attached to all this stuff. And I learned very early in my career just not to read about myself.
"In all honesty, I haven't read a single word about it. Obviously, I've been made aware from different people, but I haven't read it. It is what it is. I play football, and football is the most popular sport in the world. And everyone's going to have opinions. And do you know what? That's great. It's great, because football is a game of opinions. There's no right, there's no wrong. People are going to have opinions that are positive about you. They're going to have negative opinions about you. I think I take advice and I take praise and criticism from the people that are closest to me. The people that I would go to for advice are the ones whose opinions I would ask. So, for me, I live in this beautiful world where I don't have to read things about myself, and I don't. It actually makes life a lot easier."
Back in time for cup final
The shoulder injury was Schmeichel's main concern following the match in Lisbon. It left him fearing that his season could be over but he made his comeback for Celtic during the recent 3-1 win over Hibs and is in line to start Saturday's Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen at Hampden.
"Before you get the final diagnosis of what happened, then you're always worried that that could have been the season," he said. "For me, it was always a matter of maintaining a positive mindset and once it was confirmed that it was a fracture, then there's time for it to heal. Now I've just got to make sure I'm doing all the other stuff, getting all the strength and flexibility back in it. The medical staff were great. They worked me very hard and it feels great now."
After claiming his first Scottish league title, Schmeichel will now look to follow his predecessor at Celtic - Joe Hart - in becoming one of the few players to lift both the FA and Scottish Cups. "Do you know, I haven't thought about it, in all honesty," he said. "I've been so focused on getting back fit and getting to this game."
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.