ENNIO VAN DER GOUW is playing his way to success – in the sticks and on the keys.
The rising star, 23, has followed in his Treble-winning dad’s footsteps by becoming a professional goalkeeper.
And he has plenty of wisdom and experience to draw upon from his old man, Raimond van der Gouw.
Van der Gouw Sr, 60, spent the majority of his six seasons at Manchester United as back-up keeper to Peter Schmeichel and later Fabien Barthez – either side of his battle for the No1 jersey with Mark Bosnich.
After starting out at Go Ahead Eagles then spending eight years with Vitesse, he signed for Manchester United aged 33 in 1996.
He was limited to to a handful of appearances in his first few seasons – filling in for Schmeichel including in some key Champions League matches while also coaching the kids.
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Van der Gouw was an unused sub in both the 1999 FA Cup and Champions League finals as Schmeichel stood firm between the sticks as United sealed a historic Treble.
But after the Great Dane departed that summer, the Dutchman got more of a look-in and earned his first Premier League winner’s medal in 1999-00 with 14 appearances – plus nine in other competitions.
He sealed another medal the following season and played his 61st and final game for the Red Devils in 2002 on the final day of the season against Charlton at the age of 39, becoming the oldest player for the club since World War II.
Van der Gouw joined West Ham but did not play a single minute for the Hammers then finished his career back in his homeland with RKC Waalwijk and AGOVV, scoring a penalty in his final match and retiring aged 44.
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He had a stint as a goalkeeping coach under former United skipper Roy Keane at Sunderland and has worked with the shot-stoppers at Vitesse, PSV and now Shakhtar Donetsk – as well as turning out in legends’ matches.
And he is no doubt passing on plenty of advice to his son Ennio who is plying his trade at Belgian outfit Zulte Waregem.
The rising star is also a part-time pianist who uses his love of music to wind down and take his mind off the stresses of football.
Ennio – born in Stockport during his dad’s stint at Manchester United – initially played outfield before transitioning back and taking up the gloves like his famous father.
He came through the youth ranks at Twente but did not earn a single first-team appearance so left in 2022 to join VVV-Venlo.
Van der Gouw Jr played 35 times for the Eerste Divisie and earned a dramatic 96th-minute assist against Telstar on his full professional debut in September 2022, going up for a late corner and miskicking the ball to a team-mate to fire home.
But in July 2023, the 6ft 5ins giant signed a four-year contract to make the switch to the second tier in Belgium.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
