Chelsea legend Ed de Goey looks a very different person almost 20 years after hanging up his boots.
The Dutch goalkeeper started his career at Sparta Rotterdam before moving to Feyenoord in 1997 and then to Chelsea for £2.25m.
A year later, he played a key role in winning the Blue League Cup and the Cup Winners’ Cup.
Despite being first choice for three years and keeping a clean sheet in the Premier League in 1999/00, De Goj lost interest after signing Carlo Cudicini.
He joined Stoke City as a free agent in 2003 after making just 25 appearances over the previous three years at Stamford Bridge.
He quickly became a regular for Stoke, making 38 appearances in his first season.
However, he was released at the end of the 2005/06 season, losing his place to Steve Simonsen.
After retirement, De Goey moved into coaching and worked for QPR and Eredivisie side RKC Waalwijk.
In 2018, he joined Dutch fifth division team VOC Rotterdam, where he remains to this day.
And the Mirror reports how Chelsea fans were shocked by a photo of the former Blues goalkeeper recently shared on social media.
Once known for his distinctive beard and long hair, De Goey’s new look has surprised fans with no beard and much shorter hair.
De Goey, a cult hero among west Londoners, had no idea he would be leaving the club in 2003.
In a chat on the club’s website in 2020, he said: “No, I had no idea.
Interestingly, in my meeting with Ranieri he told me that I was getting old and wanted a younger goalkeeper.
“But after meeting him, he called the young goalkeeper (Reece Evans) who plays for England Under-21s and told him to come too!
“If you’re going to target young people, why are you letting them go?” I had mixed feelings about leaving.
“But there was nothing we could do about it, he was the manager and we followed his decisions.”
