Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has confirmed he is facing a ’10 to 12-month’ rehabilitation period due to a severe shoulder injury that could bring his playing career to an end.
Speaking on a CBS Sports broadcast on Tuesday evening (17/03/26) alongside his father, Peter Schmeichel, the Celtic man detailed the extent of the damage following a consultation with a specialist on Monday.
Schmeichel explained that he will require ‘two separate surgeries’ to repair a torn bicep, a torn rotator cuff, and a dislocated shoulder.
To put Schmeichel’s injury into perspective, he compared the physical toll to an outfield player tearing both their ‘ACL and Achilles at the same time.’
This time last season, the Denmark international injured his shoulder on international duty against Portugal. He continued to play, despite the injury, even screaming in pain every time he had to dive, and now he has paid the ultimate price.
When asked by CBS Sports host Kate Scott how he was processing the news, Schmeichel gave a direct and honest assessment of his situation. “I could have potentially played my last ever football game.”
Utterly devastating for Kasper, your thoughts, Celtic fans…
Stay strong, Kasper!
Kasper Schmeichel explains the pain of a possible career-ending injury
Celtic’s number one goalkeeper acknowledged that the lengthy recovery timeline means he will be 40 by the time he is medically cleared to return to the pitch.
With the 39-year-old officially sidelined for the foreseeable future, Celtic will now have to navigate the remainder of their title run-in without their experienced number one.
Viljami Sinisalo has stepped up to the plate in recent weeks, and he now has the number one gloves, albeit in such unfortunate circumstances involving his teammate.
Manchester City were playing Real Madrid at the Etihad in the second leg of their knockout Champions League encounter, and Kasper was at the stadium, alongside his dad, who was working for CBS Sports.
The conversation started when Peter joked about how there are a lot of injuries amongst himself, Micah Richards, who was standing beside them, and then Kasper.
Before the legendary Manchester United keeper spoke about the ‘more serious’ news regarding his son.
Peter Schmeichel: “Kasper, of course, you have a more serious injury. You were told something yesterday (Monday), weren’t you?”
Kasper: “I was at a specialist yesterday. I am going to need two surgeries now to fix my shoulder, which is a bit of a body blow. I have torn the bicep. Torn the rotator cuff. Dislocated the shoulder. Everything has kind of gone.
“It’s like an outfielder doing their ACL, and their Achilles at the same time. It’s looking like 10-12 months of rehab. It’s been a strange few days.”
Peter S: “10 to 12 months?!”
Kate Scott: “You are smiling, but how do you really feel about that?”
Kasper: “I was told yesterday. I don’t really know anything right now, in the sense that you don’t know how to react to this. I could have potentially played my last ever football game. I have been a footballer since the day I was born. That kind of thought is devastating. It’s very, very hard to wrap my head around, at the moment.
“I got the message yesterday that it could potentially be the end of my career because of my age. By the time I could get back fit, I could be 40+.”
Micah Richards: “I could feel, you know, when we were by the pitch, me, you and Peter. We were looking out and just admiring the players. You were looking at it differently. You wanted to be out there on the grass, didn’t you?”
Kasper: “Yeah, it was a tough night. We were standing there having a look at the keeper’s warm-up, and thinking, ‘I might never get to do that again.’ It was a tough night.
“Very emotional. As much as you guys have been nice, I haven’t enjoyed a single minute of it, in that sense.”
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