Kasper Schmeichel wants to return to the world of football soon. The 39-year-old former goalkeeper was forced by an injury to say goodbye to matches at the end of last season. The son of the legend would have liked to continue, but found himself doing something else. An injury that is pushing him to do his best to seek a return to another role, that of a coach. At the moment he is going through a period of "unemployment", with some appearances as a television commentator, which is nevertheless proving quite stressful. This is because he is dedicating himself with all his heart and soul to his family.
Going from dedicating most of your days to football and work, to being available to your family, is not easy. To make the idea clearer, Kasper Schmeichel explained that he feels like a full-time driver: "If I'm fighting boredom? Beyond imagination. I have three children. I'm practically a full-time Uber driver. It's a strange transition. I wasn't ready for it. Life deals you these things and I'm adapting." And the adaptation is anything but easy for the former Manchester City, Leeds United, Leicester, Nice, Anderlecht and Celtic player, who is nevertheless trying to study and train to become a coach in the shortest possible time.
He still has the fire of a professional athlete inside him, but the problem with his shoulder has sidelined him. Here's his desire to try new opportunities as a coach: "Since I didn't retire on my own terms, I still have my competitive spirit. I would like to coach, be a football manager or have a higher-level role. The fire is still burning very strongly. I don't really like getting licenses, but you have to have them. When I'm on the field, coaching or helping young people to stand out, I get a lot of satisfaction. All my life I've been used to the expectation that I have to give my best and that gave me energy. Now, from one day to the next, all that has disappeared. That dopamine rush needs to be replaced."
For many footballers, this transition from professionalism to cessation of activities is traumatic, because it brings precisely a revolution in their lives. Especially when everything does not happen in a "natural" way, but as a result of an injury. In this scenario, the words of Kasper's father, former United legend Peter, are also emblematic: "It's a difficult period for Kasper right now. One day you are someone. You have an identity. And the next day you have nothing. There is nothing and you can't replace it with anything. I retired with my choice, but for Kasper there was an injury in the middle. I don't know what the next chapter of your life will be like."
No hypocrisy or desire to appear as someone who is not from the sincere Schmeichel, who is experiencing a moment of great difficulty. We often see and read random statements from those who have dedicated the entire first part of their lives to football and then find themselves forced to rebuild themselves at a particular age. The essential thing is foresight and the ability to manage before the moment comes to hang up your boots, especially when you are probably not a high-level footballer, capable of living on the income earned and also benefiting from his image.
