WINNIPEG – Valour FC’s Mathias Janssens is polite and cordial, and emits a vibe of quiet confidence that all elite athletes seem to have oozing from their every pore.

He speaks calmly and coolly through a translator. He projects confidence.

And so in that respect, Janssens, a 21-year-old Belgian goalkeeper, displays none of the characteristics that would fit the goalie stereotype that apparently crosses over between both the hockey and soccer worlds.

We begin first with Valour FC GM and Head Coach Rob Gale, to reacquaint us with that stereotype…

“(Janssens) is an interesting character, as all goalkeepers are,” Gale said. “They’re all a little bit off the charts. They keep us all entertained… They’re just bonkers. You can never figure out a goalie. They’re living in their own world. They can happily entertain themselves in an empty room. You have to have a certain kind of character to stand in there and whether it’s pucks coming at you or balls coming at you, you’re the last line of defence. You have to have a certain mentality and he’s right there with them.”

“Goalies, they put their face and their hands where the others put their boots,” added Valour FC goalkeeper coach Patrick Di Stefani. “It’s a special mentality.”

Naturally, this notion was broached after Monday’s fitness training with Janssens via Di Stefani, the translator.

“I always heard about it, but never understood it,” Janssens said with a grin and a shrug. “For us, it’s normal.”

All this jocularity aside, the Valour FC coaches believe they have a good one in their young keeper, who will share the workload in the inaugural Canadian Premier League season with Winnipegger Tyson Farago.

Janssens spent last year with RAAL La Louviere of the Belgian third division after two years with the reserve team for Waasland Beveren of the Belgium Pro League. The product of Brussels has been part of the Belgian national team programs at the U-15, U-16 and U-19 levels.

It was at an U-17 camp that he was first spied by Di Stefani, then working as an assistant coach in Belgium. Interestingly, Di Stefani also coached Janssens’ father,  Denis, and it was that connection that ultimately brought the young keeper to Winnipeg.

“When Rob came asking for goalies I had a list, but said, ‘I know a good one who has so much potential,'” said Di Stefani. “You have to remember Belgium is the land of goalies … we produce top goalies in the world for 30, 40, 50 years. When you play U-15, U-17, U-19 with the national teams there you’ve been a pro for a while.

“He was a second goalie in first division, the youngest in Belgian history. I know one thing: he’s been at a good school. He’s got good habits. We can do something very good with this kid. We were lucky to get him.”

Janssens has a sense of humour that isn’t lost via translation. Asked for his impressions of Winnipeg after a month here, he said: “Winnipeg … it’s big, it’s nice. For the people that like snow, it’s great. The football has been exactly what I was expecting. It’s good football, good people around it all. Everything is positive right now.”

Janssens confirmed that his family’s familiarity with Di Stefani helped open the door for him to consider the opportunity with Valour FC. That opportunity, coupled with the newness of the CPL and his own sense of adventure, soon had him on a plane here.

“This is a great opportunity for me,” Janssens said. “I looked at every aspect of it, we talked about it and I agreed. It’s the challenge. It’s a new league and a great, fresh start for everybody. Everybody starts at ground zero. It’s a great way to discover the country, a place I’ve never been.”