Coventry City will have clear Leicester City envy with Foxes icon – It’s not James Maddison
Coventry City will surely wish they had retained Kasper Schmeichel for longer instead of watching him achieve greatness with their M69 derby rivals Leicester City.
When Schmeichel arrived at Coventry on loan from Manchester City in March 2008, few could have predicted the extraordinary career that would follow.
The young Danish goalkeeper, son of Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel, was seeking further first-team experience after previous loan spells at Darlington, Bury, Falkirk, and Cardiff City.
Schmeichel’s loan spell at the Ricoh was brief but significant – he made nine appearances for the Championship side during the final months of the 07/08 season.
Chris Coleman, Sky Blues’ manager at the time, was full of praise for the then-21-year-old keeper, describing him as having “all the attributes to be a top class Premier League goalkeeper.” It’s fair to say he wasn’t wrong with what followed.
From Coventry to Leicester City greatness
The temporary nature of Schmeichel’s stay in the West Midlands was always understood – he was Manchester City’s property and would return to the Etihad Stadium once his loan expired.
Three years after his stint at Coventry, Schmeichel made the move that would define his career when Leicester City signed him from Leeds United in June 2011 for an undisclosed fee.
The transfer reunited him with manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, who had previously worked with the goalkeeper at both Manchester City and Notts County.
What followed was nothing short of extraordinary. Schmeichel became the Foxes undisputed number one and embarked on an 11-year journey that would see him make 479 appearances for the Foxes.
Kasper Schmeichel’s Premier League winning season
The 15/16 Premier League title triumph undoubtedly remains the crowining achievement of Schmeichel’s career and one of the greatest sporting stroies ever.
It’s worth a reminder that Leicester were 5,000/1 outsiders at the start of the season – odds so long that bookmakers offered shorter prices on Piers Morgan becoming Arsenal manager.
Yet Schmeichel kept 15 clean sheets and played every single minute of that top-flight season. His performances provided the solid foundation that allowed the team’s counter-attacking style to flourish.
