Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel says joining the Hoops in the summer felt like ‘coming home’ football-wise.
The Hoops were looking for a new stopper after Joe Hart hung up his gloves at the end of last season. Brendan Rodgers opened his phonebook a few days after Denmark were eliminated from the summer’s European Championships and convinced Schmeichel a move to Glasgow’s east end was his best next step.
The Dane has never looked back since penning a one-year deal with the option of another at Parkhead.
He’s conceded just four league goals 18 games into the campaign and had several man-of-the-match displays domestically and in Europe.
Schmeichel was arguably Celtic’s signing of the summer, and in a recent interview with Danish media, explained how his Hoops move felt just right: “Signing there [Celtic] felt like coming home football-wise,” he told Bold.dk.
“But one of the most important things for me is also to feel the approach to sport and football – to feel the mentality when it comes to how important it is to win. It’s a special culture at British clubs that I grew up with, so that’s why it suits me well.
“Furthermore, the atmosphere around the matches is unique. There is nothing like a full stadium in the UK, and ours is in a class of its own. There are 60,000 every time. It’s a wild experience.
“Living in Glasgow and playing for Celtic is fantastic because you really feel that football means a lot to a lot of people. Everyone has a relationship and an attitude towards football. It’s a gift to play football in such passionate surroundings.”
Just like his good friend Hart did, Schmeichel gets Celtic. He understands the club’s elite winning mentality and how nothing but a win is acceptable.
He initially signed a one-year deal at Parkhead, and in the new year, he will look at activating the extension option of another 12 months with the Scottish Premiership champions.
Few Celtic fans would be against another year of the great Dane between the sticks. So far, he has yet to put a foot wrong in green and white.
