life is not fair – imagination is..

Like father, like son.

Tidak cuma Italia yang punya Keluarga Maldini. Denmark juga punya Keluarga Schmeichel. Siapa tak kenal Peter Schmeichel, kiper legendaris Manchester

United dan Denmark. Saking hebatnya, dia dijuluki The Great Dane. Dia menutup karirnya di Liga Inggris.Peter yang hebat ini ternyata melahirkan seorang Kasper yang sepertinya bakal jadi kiper hebat kayak bokapnya.

Begitu Liga Inggris digelar, sosok yang mencuri perhatian bukan Fernando Torres, pemain termahal sepanjang masa Liverpool. Bukan Carlos Tevez yang transfernya dari West Ham ke MU berjalan sangat alot dan membingungkan. Tapi Kasper Schmeichel, kiper Manchester City. Penonton, termasuk saya seolah meliat Peter Schmeichel muda.

Rambut pirang, muka khas Skandinavia, dan reflek yang sangat cepat. Dia mencuri perhatian karena tidak kebobolan (clean sheet) dalam tiga pertandingan. Di pertandingan keempat, bertamu ke Arsenal, Kasper sempat menyelamatkan tendangan penalti. Tapi sayang, dia kebobolan juga lewat tendangan keras dari sisi kiri gawangnya oleh gelandang Arsenal, Cesc Fabregas.

Kehebohan tidak cuma di situ. Lagi-lagi sepak bola punya sisi yang unik. Kasper datang di saat Inggris krisis kiper. Kiper Inggris cuma membela tim medioker kayak Tottenham atau Portsmouth. Kasper pun diminta jadi warga Inggris karena dia tinggal 16 tahun di negeri itu. Secara hukum sih boleh, tapi rekasi Kasper gimana. Jawabannya bisa ditebak. Kasper orang Denmark, bukan orang Inggris. Dia menolak mentah-mentah jadi orang nomer satu di bawah gawang timna Inggris.

Schmeichel Rejects All Talk Of Representing England27/08/2007 10:22 England may be suffering from error-prone goalkeepers at the moment, but Manchester City’s impressive young keeper Kasper Schmeichel will not be coming to their rescue. FA officials have reportedly investigated the possibility of persuading Kasper Schmeichel to adopt British nationality as the Manchester City keeper has lived in England for 16 years. But the Danish-born son of former Manchester United and Denmark goalkeeping legend Peter Schmeichel has told his father he has no intention of applying for British citizenship. Peter watched his son produce another fine performance at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday He vsaved a penalty and pulled off several crucial saves before finall being beaten at his near post by a Cesc Fabregas shot from an acute angle. Even then Schmeichel nearly scored with a header from a corner – reviving further memories of his father – but Arsenal hung on to win 1-0 and ruin Schmeichel’s day. But on the question of nationality, Peter Schmeichel told The Sun after the game: “Kasper is Danish. He has absolutely no chance of playing for England and this discussion should stop now. “England is for English people. Kasper was born in Denmark, all his family are Danish and there is nothing that can make him English. “If you ask him he says ‘I am Danish and I play for Denmark’. That is the end of it.” The 20-year-old Kasper is in the City first team following the injury to first-choice keeper and Swedish international Andreas Isaksson, who is recovering from a fractured thumb. The goal by Fabregas was the only one Schmeichel has conceded in four matches this season, and he was within 10 minutes of setting a new club record of four clean-sheets in the first for games of a League campaign. Peter revealed that he does not try to coach his son in the art of goalkeeping. “I would rather have a father-son relationship than try to coach him. It was a good save from Van Persie [on the penalty] but who am I to give him tips on penalties? How many did I save in my career?” Schmeichel told The Sun. “Kasper has a very good coach at City in Eric Steele and has also worked a lot with Tim Flowers. Their advice is more valuable than mine. “In the last two weeks, I’ve been talking to him a lot about playing in big occasions. But that’s only because he was up against [Manchester] United and Arsenal. “It’s not my intention to become a coach or adviser. I’m just trying to keep Kasper’s feet on the ground. “Yet he’s doing that without my help. He’s not flash and he concentrates very well, which is the key to being a good goalkeeper. “You need to be reliable to your team and you could see a very tired Manchester City side trusted in him against Arsenal. Myself and Kasper’s mum are very proud parents.” Meanwhile, City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, a former England manager, is not inclined to press Schmeichel’s claims for England either. He believes the keeper would be ineligible anyway, having played for Denmark’s Under-21 team in a qualifying game against Finland in June. Eriksson said: “I am almost sure it is impossible for him to play for England. And I should be very surprised if he wants to change. He is proud to be Danish.” Eriksson added: “After four games in the Premier League, Kasper is handling it very well. “He’s not as tall as a keeper like Petr Cech but maybe he is quicker. “He has to be more clever, select when to come out for crosses and when to stay. “And he will probably make mistakes, as he is still only 20. I have never had a goalkeeper that young before. “But the way he works and behaves, you would never guess he is only 20. He has probably learned a lot about the Premier League from his father. “I know he was very disappointed at the end. He hates to see the ball go into the net — even in training.

“I was surprised when he went up for the corner. We didn’t tell him to do that and he was unlucky. He got to the header and nearly scored.”

sumber: http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=395201