Former Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet admits he took a 'big risk' in leaving Liverpool for Club Brugge in 2019.
The 34-year-old spent six years on Merseyside after he arrived from Sunderland in 2013. He never quite nailed down a spot as the club's long-term no.1 and the arrival of Alisson only further emphasised his future laid elsewhere.
He's won three consecutive Belgian Pro League titles with the club, but he admitted making the decision to move to Brugge was a 'risk'.
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In an interview alongside his wife with news outlet Het Laatste Nieuws, he said: “I took a very big risk at the time. I could have taken out my contract at Liverpool, which would have given me many more options as a free agent. Or I could have opted for an immediate step first.
“It was only this year that there was some criticism of me for the first time. Nobody had to tell me that I was having a lesser season. I knew that myself.”
It's not only Mignolet that had reservations initially, but his wife Jasmien, whom he married in 2015, was also apprehensive.
She added: "We did have some doubts at the time. We asked ourselves: ‘Isn’t it too early to return to Belgium already?’
"I had seen England, but something more southern would suit me. It turned out to be Belgium… I wasn’t even here when he qualified Club for the Champions League through the qualifiers. For now, it’s running like a dream.”
The move has certainly worked out for the shot stopper, who has made 139 appearances for Club Brugge so far. He signed a fresh deal with the club in October 2020, which now runs until the summer of 2025.
