MANCHESTER, England Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel said a victorious farewell to Old Trafford on Sunday, celebrating the English premier league title in his last home match for Manchester United. Schmeichel, 35, announced last November that he planned to quit at the end of the season and he has made clear since that nothing would lead him to change his mind. "I'm going to miss it a lot but I've made my mind up and I thought I'd set my mind on something different, a new challenge," he said on Sunday. "I've prepared myself for this.

I'm just going to get on with it." Manager Alex Ferguson led the praise for the goalkeeper, who addressed the crowd from the pitch after the match and who has yet to announce where he will be playing in future. "He is the best goalkeeper I've ever seen in my life. Far the best I've ever managed. He's a fabulous gem," he said.

Schmeichel, joined United in 1991 for just 550,000 pounds ($892,400), replacing Scotland's Jim Leighton, and swiftly became a key figure in the team. His appearance on Sunday was his 396th for United and saw him clinch his fifth championship medal. He now has a chance to win his third FA Cup Winners' medal against Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium next week, while another honor could follow on May 26 when he plays his last match for United in the European Cup final against Bayern Munich in Barcelona. He will be United's captain on the night as skipper Roy Keane is suspended for the game and will be hoping to end his glittering career at United holding aloft the most prestigious trophy in world club soccer.

(Reuter)