Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher dropped a major hot take on Peter Schmeichel and Eric Cantona in front of Manchester United legend Edwin van der Sar over their respective impacts.
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Carragher included United legend Van der Sar at the No 6 spot in his rankings, while David de Gea finished ahead of the Dutch former shot-stopper in the No 4 spot.
The 48-year-old Sky Sports pundit had Peter Schmeichel, who is regarded as one of the best shot-stoppers of all time, at No 2 in his star-studded 10-man ranking list.
Chelsea legend Petr Cech came out on top in the overall rankings, but Carragher caught my eye more for a claim he made around Schmeichel and Eric Cantona.
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Viaplay TV pundits Jan Molby and Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel before the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Manchester United at Villa Park in 2025 in Birmingham, England.
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Jamie Carragher compares the impact of Peter Schmeichel at Man Utd to Eric Cantona’s spell at Old Trafford
Speaking on Sky Sports for the broadcaster’s coverage for Everton vs Manchester United, pundit Jamie Carragher stuck himself out there with a huge comparison.
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The former England and Liverpool right-back praised the seminal impact that Peter Schmeichel had at United under Sir Alex Ferguson and on wider football as well.
However, Carragher added that Schmeichel’s influence at Man Utd during the 1990s and early 2000s could rival or even eclipse Eric Cantona’s impact at Old Trafford.
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“No, listen, I think a lot of people would have him [Schmeichel] at No 1,” he said.
“And, to be honest, I have been debating this all day and I might be working with him in the next couple of days as well, so I might have to make an apology!
“But, for me, he almost changed goalkeeping and I think he changed the history of Manchester United.
“People always talk about Cantona and rightfully so. He was as important [as Cantona], if not more.”
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The Man Utd fan inside of me can’t agree with Jamie Carragher’s Peter Schmeichel and Eric Cantona hot take
Putting aside Schmeichel’s move to Manchester City in the dying stages of his career, the United legend did have a seismic impact under Sir Alex Ferguson.
If the 62-year-old former Red Devils No 1 were not at Old Trafford, who knows where Man Utd’s trajectory could have taken them in the footballing landscape?
However, apply the same aforementioned sentiment to Cantona and the proof is in the pudding for the larger-than-life figure that the 59-year-old Frenchman became.
United have never had another player in the same ilk as Cantona, whose eccentric personality, talents and presence kicked off United’s dominance in the 1990s.
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Cantona might never have lifted the Champions League with United, but European football was far different then compared with where it is now in the modern format.
The legendary former United No 7 was pure aura inside the Red Devils dressing room and especially outside of it with his actions on the pitch and off it as well.
There is nothing taking away from Schmeichel’s legacy and his influence showed with how long it took Ferguson to find a rightful heir to his throne at United.
However, it could be argued that no heir has ever been found to what Cantona actually did for United, with ‘King Eric’ forever sitting on his throne at the Red Devils.
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