Simon Mignolet facts for kids
Mignolet with Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Simon Luc Hildebert Mignolet | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 6 March 1988 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Sint-Truiden, Belgium | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Club Brugge | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 22 | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Sint-Truiden | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2010 | Sint-Truiden | 100 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2013 | Sunderland | 90 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2019 | Liverpool | 155 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2019– | Club Brugge | 211 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Belgium U16 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2004 | Belgium U17 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Belgium U18 | 11 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Belgium U19 | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2009 | Belgium U20 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Belgium U21 | 10 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2022 | Belgium | 35 | (0) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 24 April 2025 | ||||||||||||||||
Simon Mignolet (born on March 6, 1988) is a professional footballer from Belgium. He plays as a goalkeeper for the club Club Brugge in the Belgian Pro League.
Simon started his football journey with Sint-Truiden in 2004. He played there for six years, appearing in 100 league games and even scoring one goal. In June 2010, he moved to the English Premier League club Sunderland. He spent three years with Sunderland, playing 101 matches in total.
In June 2013, Simon joined Liverpool. He played 155 games for them before moving back to Belgium in 2019. Simon also played for the Belgian national team at many levels, from under-16 all the way to the senior team. He made his first senior team appearance in 2011 and played over 30 times for his country. He was part of Belgium's squads for the 2014, 2018, and 2022 FIFA World Cup, as well as UEFA Euro 2016 and 2020.
Contents
Simon's Club Journey
Starting at Sint-Truiden
Simon Mignolet was born in Sint-Truiden, Belgium. He joined his local football team, Sint-Truiden, in 2004. He worked his way up through their youth teams. By 2006, when he was 18, he became the team's main goalkeeper.
In 2009, he played 29 games and even scored a penalty goal in a 5–1 win. He helped Sint-Truiden win the Belgian Second Division. The next year, he was named the Belgian Goalkeeper of the Year. This award recognized his great efforts in helping Sint-Truiden stay in the top league.
Playing for Sunderland
On June 17, 2010, Simon signed a five-year contract with the English club Sunderland. He joined them for about £2 million. Other big clubs like PSV and Twente were also interested in him.
Simon played his first game for Sunderland on August 15, 2010. It was a 2–2 draw against Birmingham City, and he was named the best player of the match. In his next home game, he helped Sunderland keep a "clean sheet" (meaning the other team didn't score) in a 1–0 win against Manchester City. He made some amazing saves in that game.
Later, another goalkeeper, Craig Gordon, took his place for a while. But Simon returned as the main goalkeeper in February 2011 after Gordon got injured. Simon played very well and became the first-choice goalkeeper for the next season too.
In October 2011, Simon got a broken nose during a game against Aston Villa. Despite this, he played every single match the following season. He kept many clean sheets and was often named man of the match. In December 2012, England's goalkeeper, Joe Hart, even said Simon was the best goalkeeper in the league that season.
Time at Liverpool
Joining the Reds in 2013
On June 25, 2013, Simon Mignolet joined Liverpool for about £9 million. Liverpool's manager, Brendan Rodgers, said Simon was "one of the top goalkeepers in the Premier League."
Simon played his first official game for Liverpool on August 17, 2013. It was a 1–0 win against Stoke City. In the last few minutes of the game, he saved a penalty kick and another shot right after it. This helped Liverpool win the match. He then kept two more clean sheets in games against Aston Villa and Manchester United.
Later, in a 2–2 draw with Swansea City, he let in his first goals for Liverpool. But he was still named the best player of the match. He also played brilliantly in a 3–3 draw against Everton, making nine saves.
Playing in 2014 and 2015
In December 2014, Simon was replaced by another goalkeeper, Brad Jones, for a short time. But Jones got injured soon after, and Simon returned to play. After that, Simon kept four clean sheets in a row against Sunderland, Aston Villa, West Ham United, and Everton.
In February 2015, he made some amazing saves in a 3–2 win against Tottenham Hotspur. In March, he continued his strong performances, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 win against Swansea City. He also saved a penalty from Wayne Rooney in a game against Manchester United.
Later Years at Liverpool (2015–2019)
On January 18, 2016, Simon signed a new five-year contract with Liverpool. A few days later, he saved two penalties in a shootout against Stoke City. This helped Liverpool reach the 2016 Football League Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
Later in 2016, Liverpool's manager, Jürgen Klopp, sometimes chose a new goalkeeper, Loris Karius, over Simon. But Simon returned to the main lineup for Premier League games in December 2016.
On September 23, 2017, Simon saved his 8th penalty for the club, which was a new record for Liverpool. This helped them win 3–2 against Leicester City. On November 4, he was the team captain for the first time in a 4–1 win against West Ham United. On December 26, Simon played his 200th game for Liverpool.
In 2018, Liverpool signed Alisson Becker as their new main goalkeeper. This meant Simon mostly played in cup games. He was an unused substitute when Liverpool won the 2019 UEFA Champions League final 2–0.
Moving to Club Brugge
On August 4, 2019, Simon Mignolet signed a five-year contract with the Belgian club Club Brugge. He moved there for about £6.4 million. He has been a key player for Club Brugge, helping them win multiple league titles.
Playing for Belgium
Simon first played for the Belgian under-21 team in 2008. He played ten games for them. On September 1, 2010, he was called up to the Belgian senior squad for the first time.
He made his full international debut on March 25, 2011, in a 2–0 win against Austria. This was a qualifying match for the UEFA Euro 2012. He played in all the remaining qualifying games, but Belgium did not make it to the Euro 2012 finals.
Simon played in a few more friendly games for Belgium. However, another goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, often played instead of him for a while. Simon returned to the starting lineup in November 2012.
He was the backup goalkeeper during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification. Courtois played every minute as Belgium qualified for their first major tournament since 2002.
In October 2015, Simon started in Belgium's last two Euro 2016 qualifying matches because Courtois was injured. Belgium won both games and qualified for the tournament.
In May 2018, Simon was part of Belgium's team for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He was one of the three goalkeepers. Belgium finished in third place at that World Cup. He was also in the squads for UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup, but he did not play in those tournaments.
On March 14, 2023, Simon Mignolet announced that he was retiring from playing for the national team. He was 35 years old.
Simon's Life Outside Football
Simon Mignolet is very good with languages. He can speak Dutch, English, French, and German. He also has a degree in political science from the Catholic University of Leuven.
On June 20, 2015, Simon married his girlfriend, Jasmien Claes. They have two sons. Their first son, Lex, was born in October 2019. Their second son, Vin, was born in March 2022.
Awards and Achievements
Simon Mignolet has won many awards and titles throughout his career:
- Sint-Truiden
- Belgian Second Division: 2008–09
- Liverpool
- UEFA Champions League: 2018–19 (winner); 2017–18 (runner-up)
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2015–16
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2015–16
- Club Brugge
- Belgian Pro League: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2023–24
- Belgian Cup runner-up: 2019–20
- Belgian Super Cup: 2022
- Belgium National Team
- FIFA World Cup third place: 2018
- Individual Awards
- Belgian Goalkeeper of the Year: 2009–10, 2020–21, 2021–22
- Sint-Truiden Player of the Year: 2008–09, 2009–10
- North-East FWA Player of the Year: 2012
- Sunderland Player of the Year: 2012–13
- MOTD Keeper of the Year: 2013
- Belgian First Division A Goalkeeper of the Year: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024
- Club Brugge Player of the Year: 2022
- Belgian Golden Shoe: 2022
- Honorary Citizen of Sint-Truiden, Belgium: 2024
See also
In Spanish: Simon Mignolet para niños
