High flyer: Simon Mignolet speaks five languages, has a degree in politics and he's not a bad keeper

Simon Mignolet knows all about pressure. The pressure of following in the footsteps of one of Sunderland’s greatest players — and the pressure of being a goalkeeper with nowhere to hide.

'You’re told about The Save pretty much as soon as you arrive,’ said Mignolet, of course referring to Jim Montgomery’s spectacular double stop which helped Sunderland to their FA Cup triumph over Leeds 40 years ago.

'He is a legend here, which can only be a good thing. People say I made one of my best saves against Everton in the Cup last year.

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'But it’s not the same stage. It wasn’t at Wembley and we didn’t win the Cup.

'That is another side of the keeper. There is a more difficult side, but a save like that made him a lifetime hero.'

Tuesday’s shock defeat by Bolton means Mignolet will not have a chance to emulate Montgomery in this season’s competition but the Belgian’s popularity is growing inside and outside the Stadium of Light.

The 24-year-old, who signed for £2million in July 2010, has his own song now, and is attracting plenty of plaudits. Joe Hart, no less, said he was the best goalkeeper of the Premier League season so far.

Mignolet, capped 12 times, is sitting at Sunderland’s training ground discussing things you wouldn’t always associate with footballers. He talks about his degree in political science, about his ability to speak five languages and about sympathy and empathy for Robert Enke, the German goalkeeper who committed suicide after a long battle with depression.

Enke at times struggled with the attention keepers attract when they make a mistake, something Mignolet understands.

‘I have always said that a striker scores a goal but not every goal is scored by a striker,’ he said. ‘A goalkeeper can make a mistake which is a goal, but every goal still goes past him and you have to accept that.

‘Everybody will always ask the question if you could do better. But a striker, if he is not involved in a goal, no one looks at him.

‘A goalkeeper’s biggest attribute is to bounce back. If you have support from fans, backroom staff and team-mates to play the next game, it is easy. And that is what I have here.

‘If you are already fighting against a brick wall when things go badly it is going to be tough.

‘I made a mistake for my home town team and people in the street asked me or my parents, “What happened, what’s wrong?” and you have to deal with that.

Double trouble: Mignolet says coping with the pressure after a mistake can be tricky for goalkeepers

Big changes: Mignolet used to train in a field

‘For a young keeper that is difficult — even if it is in the lower leagues in front of 8,000 people.

‘But that experience gave me a chance to be ready when it happens again. It happened there, it has happened here and it will happen in the future.

‘You just have to learn to live with the criticism even if it is unfair. It is a fact of life. You do it a million times in training, one goes wrong. Then it happens in a match. You have to lift your head, make sure the next game is fine and not get carried away.

‘If I had made an error in my first seven games I would still be the same keeper but it might not have turned out for me. That is how vulnerable the position of the keeper is. You can’t really think about it. But it is there in the back of your head and you know it has happened to a lot of guys.’

One of many Premier League keepers who started as an outfield player, Mignolet followed his father between the sticks for small home town club St-Truiden because he lost his pace and a place in their youth team.

The Mignolets acquired a small field for Simon to hone his skills with older brother and promising midfielder Wouter, now a Belgian second division player.

He recalled: ‘I was already training as a goalie because my dad said I might gain some pace over five metres with goalkeeping sessions. We played every day on that pitch. An old farmer couldn’t look after it so my father asked to use it as a playground.

‘I worked with my dad, played for a season, got scouted again and was back in the next summer. When I turned 18 I got into the first team. And there must have been some talent, but I was coached well, and my dad was a keeper, so maybe I was born to be a keeper. But you need a bit of luck. My team lost a goalie, I took my chance and soon I was in Belgium’s Under 18s.’

Mignolet’s degree in political science is from the ancient University of Leuven. While his team-mates were on the beach, or at Euro 2012, Mignolet was sitting his final exams. He may do his Masters when he retires.

‘When I started playing, my parents told me to go to university,’ he added. ‘They just said choose wisely and find something you can combine with training. It was not because of an interest in politics. It was to have something behind me in case something went wrong.

Dedication: Mignolet is committed to his studies and has a degree in politics

The main benefit has been the four languages (German, Dutch, English and French) on top of his native Flemish.

‘I was able to translate for Alfred N’Diaye when he arrived and help him. English definitely helped me settle.’

Mignolet, who moved with long-term lawyer girlfriend Jasmien, had no time to settle. Injury to Craig Gordon forced Steve Bruce to throw him immediately into the team. Recently recovered from a fractured cheek, Mignolet was forced to play.

‘I gave myself two years to adapt to the league and pace and make sure I was ready by training hard, maybe play a couple of cup games, gain experience,’ he said. ‘But I played the first game. I still had to prove a lot, but the fact I didn’t do anything stupid meant I was trusted and I have played the majority of games since.’

But there have been darker moments, too, such as the error which gave West Bromwich victory in November and a smashed nose and face after losing an aerial battle with Emile Heskey.

‘I have not seen the moment I got smashed,’ he said. ‘They took a picture of me in the hospital and it looked pretty bad. And that was after the doc put it right in the dressing room.

‘He said everything was gone. My missus said there was no nose left when she got there.

‘She’s very happy with how it has turned out.

‘I can’t remember anything. I can’t even tell you if it was sore. The worst thing was being out for 10 weeks.

Healed up: Mignolet's nose is looking and feeling better now

‘My nose was blocked with blood for days, a blue eye from the broken socket and the worst part, concussion.’

Mignolet played in a mask for his premature return on New Year’s Day 2012 and has kept out Ireland goalkeeper Kieren Westwood since.

‘It got me through that game. It would not have helped if I got another smash in the face. The bone would have cracked again. But for a ball in the face, it gave me the feeling the protection was there just in case.’