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Manuel Neuer's nomination for Ballon d'Or will serve as inspiration for others, says Peter Schmeichel

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Since the Premier League's inception in 1992, Manchester United has dominated England like no other. They had the Cantonas, the Sheringhams and the Coles to bang in the goals in the 90s where they won five league titles (20 in total). But one cannot ignore the fact that the man in goal was instrumental to their success. Peter Schmeichel knows what it's like to win the plaudits with the big boys, and 11 years since his retirement, there is a certain German who reminds the Danish international about his playing days.

“If I had to choose amongst the current goalkeepers, there is no doubt that I would pick Manuel Neuer in my World XI. He's the best in the world,” says the 51-year-old Dane within seconds of taking his first sip of coffee. “Him (Neuer) getting the basics right is what impresses me the most. The manner in which he controls the penalty box, ensuring that that if anything goes past his defenders, he is there to see out the danger. He has such an intimidating presence in the box,” says Schmeichel who won the European Championship with Denmark in 1992.

Neuer's sweeper keeper approach in games —where he rushes out of his box to clear out the danger and utilise the space in front of him— has not only seen him improve as a goalkeeper, but also as a footballer according to Schmeichel. “He makes sure all 11 players are in play. He takes part in the game more than any other keeper. That means the defence is moved forward, the midfield is moved forward, the attackers move forward. This means you're in the opposition's half for majority of the game. Football as we all know, is about scoring, and you can only score if you're attacking. He makes it look so easy. You never see nervousness on Neuer's face, never,” says Schmeichel who was part of United's historic treble winning side in 1999.

Schmeichel's last kick of the ball was for United's city rivals, Manchester City in a 0-1 defeat to Southampton in 2003. Amongst the keepers he's seen since then —no prizes for guessing— it's Neuer who he finds that bears a close resemblance to his style of play. “When I see Neuer, I see someone who had the same mentality that I had. This is why I like him so much. When you play for a club like Manchester United, the mentality is always to attack. I pushed everyone forward. By doing this we gave each other confidence that this was something that was working. I haven't seen anyone do what he is doing. I fail to understand why other goalkeepers aren't trying what he does. I discuss the very same thing with every goalkeeping coach as to why don't they teach this to the kids. It makes the job much easier,” says Schmeichel, whose son Kasper keeps in goal for Leicester City.

FIFA announced the final list of nominees for the 2014 Ballon d’Or. The German and Bayern Munich keeper is the new man in along with usual suspects, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. With only four defenders having won the world's best player since the award's inception in 1956, Schmeichel feels proud of the 28-year-old's achievement, but feels that it's Ronaldo who has his name on the prize. “Look at what Ronaldo has done this year. It's phenomenal. I'm happy that Neuer made it to the final three. He's deserved that. He was simply outstanding at this year's World Cup. It's an inspiration for other goalkeepers and kids playing in that position,” says the Dane who was the UEFA goalkeeper of the year in 1992, 1993, 1997 and 1998.

The Danish goalkeeper further reiterates his point by saying that football has always been about one thing, scoring as you don't remember the saves, you only remember the goals. “There is no point in debating about the prices that goalkeepers get in the transfer market. Somebody who can score goals is always going to bring value to the side because it's so difficult to score. If you have someone out there who can score 20-30 goals a season on a consistent basis, you don't think twice before spending. Ronaldo's 80m sum now seems a bargain for Real Madrid. It's difficult to measure what goalkeepers do. You can put a price on someone who scores 40 goals, but you can't put a price on someone who saves 40 goals,” says Schmeichel who was bought for £505,000 from Danish club Brondby in 1991 only for Sir Alex Ferguson to call it as 'the bargain of the century'.

Neuer is 28, but it's current Man United keeper David De Gea (24) and Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois (22) who Schmeichel feels are the two to look out for. “De Gea has done really well. He was player of the year at Man United last year. He has been the most consistent player for the club. Courtois has been the more interesting one. He's had his success with Atletico Madrid. Now he's in the Premier League and has taken everyone by storm. Keeping someone like Petr Cech is one hell of an achievement to begin with. He's knows what the Champions League is all about but Christmas is an important period in the Premier League as it's around this time where thing start to get spicy. You play so many games in this period that you want a break but the break is not going to come. Let's see how he copes with that in his first season.  The second season will give us an indication of what he's all about. I'm sure that he will do well.”

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