Profile
Peter Schmeichel arrived from Brondby in 1991 and became one of Ferguson's most important signings. United were still learning how to win leagues again; Schmeichel gave them a goalkeeper who could save points, dominate defenders and make the team feel larger than it was.
He was not a quiet last line. Schmeichel shouted, organised, threw himself into one-on-ones and launched counter-attacks with long throws. His size and reach made him intimidating, but his real value was authority. Bruce, Pallister, Irwin, Parker and later Stam all played in front of a goalkeeper who constantly managed the space behind them.
His best United years coincided with the club's move from challengers to serial winners. He was central to the first Premier League title, the domestic dominance that followed and the 1999 Treble. The Champions League final in Barcelona was his last match for the club, a fittingly dramatic ending to a period in which United often survived because he made one more save than seemed reasonable.
After United he played for Sporting CP, Aston Villa and Manchester City, which adds an awkward footnote for some supporters. It does not change the main article. Schmeichel gave Ferguson's first great United side its voice at the back and remains the benchmark for the club's modern goalkeepers.