Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has revealed manager Martin O’Neill is fully aware of the “truth” behind the shoulder injury that ultimately forced him into retirement.
The 39-year-old Dane brought the curtain down on a decorated career after suffering a serious issue late on during a clash with Stuttgart, an incident that came on the back of a difficult night in which he was jeered by sections of the Parkhead support.
Despite initially playing on, including featuring in a 2-1 defeat to Hibs, the full severity of the damage soon became clear.
Schmeichel has since undergone the first of several planned surgeries and admits the decision to retire was taken out of his hands. Speaking to FourFourTwo, he said: “Just trying to get used to it. Pre-season is probably when it really hits, the fact that you’re not going back and playing. It’s strange because it’s been out of my control.
“The surgeon says that it’s not going to be able to be fixed to play at the level that I want to play. The decision has been taken for me. It’s definitely not how I wanted it.”
Schmeichel, who earned 120 caps for Denmark and made more than 900 career appearances, explained the seriousness of the injury and the impact it will have on his long-term health. “It was a specific injury; it happened in the Stuttgart game.
"It was actually fine, and it was right at the end that I felt I needed to get it checked. It was pretty damaged. The conversation with the doctors became not about actually playing again, but about quality of life.
"I’m one operation into potentially three more.”
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He added, “I still have probably 60 per cent range of motion. I can play with the kids in the garden as long as there’s no contact.
“But once the bigger surgery starts, I’m going to have to be very, very careful… being able to lift your kids, lift your dog, that’s the priority.”
Schmeichel also addressed criticism surrounding his final appearances, insisting both O’Neill and those inside Celtic understand the full context. “Martin was great. He knows me. He knows I tried everything to see if I could get back from this. Sometimes the body makes the decisions that the heart can’t read.
“Whether they knew the truth or not, people will inevitably make their own minds up. I know the truth. Martin knows the truth. I gave everything for Celtic.”
Despite the circumstances of his exit, Schmeichel looks back fondly on his time in Glasgow, where he lifted four trophies in two seasons. “It’s a club that got under my skin very, very quickly. It’s just a special club.
“You have to win every single game and not just win it, win it well. I just love that.”
And while he admits he would have preferred a farewell on the pitch, he takes pride in ending his Celtic spell with silverware. “Every footballer dreams he will bow out on the pitch. That’s what I would have liked.
“But it was more important to finish the year with the trophy. And we did, which was the most satisfying part.”
