Kasper Schmeichel has delivered the kind of update that no Celtic fan will be happy to hear. Speaking on CBS Sports on Tuesday evening, the veteran goalkeeper revealed he is facing two surgeries and what he described as a 10 to 12-month rehabilitation after serious damage to his shoulder, bicep and rotator cuff.
In the same breath, Schmeichel admitted the injury could potentially bring his playing career to an end.
It was an emotional appearance, and you could hear the weight of it in every answer.
Asked by Peter Schmeichel about the outcome of his specialist appointment on Monday, Kasper said: “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.”
He then put a timeline on it that immediately changed the tone of the conversation.
“It’s looking like 10-12 months of rehab. It’s been a strange few days,” Schmeichel said.
That alone would have been grim enough. But it was what came next that really landed.
“I could have potentially played my last ever football game,” he said. “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.”
He added: “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+.”
For Celtic, it feels like a sobering moment.
Schmeichel’s last appearance for the club came in the 2-1 defeat to Hibernian, and with his deal up in the summer it feels as if his time at the club has come to a premature end.
The 39-year-old had an outstanding first season at Celtic, bringing presence, experience and authority to the side.
This campaign has been more uneven, and in light of these comments, it now appears clear he has been battling through a far more serious problem than many realised. Recent reporting had already indicated the shoulder issue had been troubling him for months.
There was also a brutally honest moment when Micah Richards referenced standing by the pitch with him and Peter, watching the warm-up. Schmeichel replied: “I might never get to do that again.” He admitted it had been “a tough night” and “very emotional.”
Whatever supporters have made of his form this season, this goes beyond football debate.
If it turns out Kasper Schmeichel’s has made his final Celtic appearance, then he leaves having made a major contribution to the club. He brought pedigree, personality and big-game experience at a time Celtic needed all three.
Ultimately this js about a player coming to terms with the possibility that the game may be taken from him.
Celtic supporters will only hope the surgeries go well and we wish him well.
