'I Love Playing European Football' – Schmeichel's Programme Interview
- Club captain Kasper Schmeichel speaks to CITY Matchday Magazine
- Leicester City welcome Rennes to Filbert Way in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday
- Schmeichel outlined his enjoyment of playing European football and City's desire to do well in it
- Tickets are now on general sale for Thursday's 8pm kick-off and can be bought HERE
Although the Foxes entered the competition via a frustrating route, exiting the UEFA Europa League at the group-stage phase of that tournament, Brendan Rodgers' men are now fully focused on reaching the later stages of a contest which is still in its inaugural campaign.
A two-legged tie against French side Rennes is the next assignment for Leicester after overcoming Danish Superliga outfit Randers in the knockout round play-offs. The first of those two clashes with Bruno Génésio's Les Rouge et Noir takes place on Filbert Way this Thursday (8pm kick-off).
Ahead of that outing, Club captain Schmeichel, who last weekend went third in Leicester City's all-time appearances charts, spoke to CITY Matchday Magazine to outline his pre-match thoughts.
"I personally love playing European football," the Premier League, Championship, FA Cup and FA Community Shield winner told the Club's official programme. "The Premier League is amazing, but you do tend to play the same teams and players every year.
"Getting experiences of going to places like France, or even a place in Denmark that I’d never been before, and play different types of teams in different stadiums is exciting. For the fans, as well, they get to travel and have some experiences different to their usual away day.
"European football is great for a football club and great for a player to be part of."
Schmeichel, 35, has represented City in the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and now the Europa Conference League – one of many markers of his longevity, both at the top level and at the Club itself. Against former side Leeds United last weekend, he made his 461st outing for the Foxes.
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"Whenever I talk about longevity, I always reference those players that been able to do what they have done," the Denmark shot-stopper explained. "Tom Brady (former American football quarter back) is the perfect example of that.
"At 44, to be playing in such a physical sport, taking the hits he’s taken over 20-plus years he’s played…with modern science, it’s one thing to do that physically, but how can you keep dragging yourself onto the training pitch every day and love it the same amount as the first day you ever did it.
"That’s the mental challenge. I said it earlier, it’s easy to get to this level; the challenge is staying there – and that relentless drive to be the best you can be. To bring that every single day, from the moment you get in your car to go to training; your head is on it now.
"Now you’re thinking about how you’re going to get better today and setting goals. To do that takes a toll on you, but it also takes a toll on your family – and the older you get, the bigger your family tends to grow! That can be relentless and it takes staying power.
"For me, as a goalkeeper, goalkeeping has been about stability. It’s never been about flashy performances or being eye-catching, it’s about being as anonymous as you can and making things look easy.
"The key is not being noticed and providing a solid base for a team over a long period of time, so that you create a platform for the attacking players to go and win the game. As a ‘keeper, I can’t win the games.
"I can keep us in the games and give us a platform, but the best games are always the ones where you don’t notice the ‘keepers, for me. That means the team is playing at its optimum."
More from City's No.1, plus all the regular features and notes, can be found in the latest issue of CITY Matchday Magazine – available for £3 outside the stadium on Thursday.
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