Kasper Schmeichel has retired at the age of 39, with the Celtic and Denmark goalkeeper unable to recover sufficiently from a serious shoulder injury.
Schmeichel, who was soon out of contract at Celtic, had been out of action since February and after consulting with surgeons has decided to end his playing career.
“I believe that now is the right time,” the son of Manchester United great Peter told TV2 in his homeland.
He suffered the injury during a Nations League quarter-final defeat to Portugal in March 2025 but played on with Denmark having used all of their substitutes.
Schmeichel then aggravated the issue in Celtic’s Europa League defeat against Stuttgart 11 months later.
He had vowed to do everything to prolong his career, including facing the prospect of up to a year of rehabilitation, but said “this is a decision that has been made for me”.
“I didn’t realise how bad it was in March. It’s been a long process. When I landed on it in February, I could tell straight away that something was seriously wrong.
“I have consulted with various surgeons and experts regarding my shoulder, and they have told me that I should not expect to return to playing top-flight football.”
