End of an Era: Former Liverpool and Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet set to retire at the end of the season | OneFootball

Simon Mignolet has announced that this upcoming play-offs will be his last as a professional footballer. The former Sunderland and Liverpool goalkeeper will retire at the end of the current season. Following his departure from Club Brugge, the Belgian goalkeeper will then take up a management position with the Belgian national team. The 38-year-old had been hoping to stay on for at least one more year, but after failing to secure a contract extension with Club Brugge, Mignolet has decided that at the age of 38, this will be his final season.

Despite only joining Club Brugge in 2019, Mignolet will certainly go down in the club’s history as one of its greatest ever goalkeepers. The Belgian shot stopper joined the club from Liverpool and has gone on to make over 300 appearances for the side. In that time, he has won the Belgian cup once, the league four times, and the Super Cup three times. Mignolet has also been capped 35 times by the Belgian national team.

Prior to his spell with Club Brugge, Mignolet began his career in Belgium win Sint Truiden. After 56 appearances for the Canaries, he left Belgium to join Sunderland. In the space of three seasons with Sunderland, Mignolet played over 100 games and was the sides regular number one. His performances earned him a move to Liverpool in 2013. Mignolet built upon his time at Sunderland by making over 200 appearances for Liverpool. For the first three and a bit seasons with Liverpool, Mignolet was the sides first choice goalkeeper. However, by the 2017/2018 season his appearances began to drop. During the 2018/2019 season he only made two appearances for Liverpool.

Mignolet will now be hoping to add title number five to his resume before he retires. Club Brugge are set to battle it out with Union St Gilloise for the Belgian Pro League title this season when the play-offs begin this weekend.

Club Brugge will now have a decision to make this summer. With Mignolet gone, they will either allow Nordin Jackers to become the side’s first-choice goalkeeper or dip into the transfer market to sign another goalkeeper to compete for the starting spot. There had been rumours that the club were looking at Koen Casteels.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson