Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet admits he almost didn’t make it in the game - because he was determined to be a midfielder!
Mignolet's path to the Premier League is an unusual one.
He revealed to the Sunday Sun: “I was a central midfielder when I was young, but I was released because I was not really quick enough.
“I was released, then had a trial with a Championship club and they rejected me too.
“At that stage it did not look like football was the answer, so I told my dad ‘I want to be a goalie’.
“I played for my local Sunday team, just for fun really, and within a year my first team decided to scout me again.
“They signed me – one year later I was playing for Belgium under-17s and a year later I was in the first team.
“It is crazy really – but I think I made the right decision.”“To be fair, they were right – I was not quick enough. I had a growth spurt – I turned really big really quickly – and I just lost all my pace.
