Georginio Wijnaldum facts for kids
![]() Wijnaldum lining up for the Netherlands in 2016
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Georginio Gregion Emile Wijnaldum | ||||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | 11 November 1990 | ||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Rotterdam, Netherlands | ||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||
Team information | |||||||||||||||||||
Current team
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Al-Ettifaq | ||||||||||||||||||
Number | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
1997–2004 | Sparta Rotterdam | ||||||||||||||||||
2004–2007 | Feyenoord | ||||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
2007–2011 | Feyenoord | 111 | (23) | ||||||||||||||||
2011–2015 | PSV | 109 | (40) | ||||||||||||||||
2015–2016 | Newcastle United | 38 | (11) | ||||||||||||||||
2016–2021 | Liverpool | 179 | (16) | ||||||||||||||||
2021–2023 | Paris Saint-Germain | 31 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
2022–2023 | → Roma (loan) | 14 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
2023– | Al-Ettifaq | 63 | (20) | ||||||||||||||||
International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||
2005–2007 | Netherlands U17 | 15 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
2007–2009 | Netherlands U19 | 17 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||
2009–2013 | Netherlands U21 | 24 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||
2011– | Netherlands | 96 | (28) | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:33, 26 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:34, 25 June 2024 (UTC) |
Georginio Gregion Emile Wijnaldum (born 11 November 1990) is a Dutch professional footballer. He plays as a midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq, where he is the team's captain. He also plays for the Netherlands national team.
Wijnaldum started his youth career at Eredivisie side Feyenoord. He became the youngest player to play for the club in 2007. He played 134 matches for Feyenoord over five years, winning the KNVB Cup in 2008. After leaving Feyenoord, Wijnaldum played for PSV for four seasons. He won the KNVB Cup in his first season and the Eredivisie in his last. That year, he was also named the Dutch Footballer of the Year.
In 2015, Wijnaldum joined Premier League club Newcastle United. A year later, he moved to Liverpool. At Liverpool, Wijnaldum played a deeper role in midfield. In the 2018–19 season, he scored two important goals against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League semi-final. Liverpool won that match and went on to win the 2019 UEFA Champions League final. In the next season, he helped Liverpool win the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, and the Premier League. This was Liverpool's first league title in 30 years. Wijnaldum played 237 times for Liverpool and is seen as a club legend. In 2021, Wijnaldum joined French club Paris Saint-Germain.
Wijnaldum has also played for the Dutch national team since 2011, earning over 90 caps. He was part of the teams that finished third at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and second in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League.
Contents
About Georginio Wijnaldum
Wijnaldum was born and grew up in Rotterdam, Netherlands. When he was six, his parents divorced. His mother moved to Amsterdam, but Wijnaldum stayed in Rotterdam with his grandmother. He lived with her throughout his childhood.
When he was younger, Wijnaldum was not interested in football. He wanted to be a gymnast or acrobat. This changed when his cousin invited him to an open day at Sparta Rotterdam. He was then invited to join the Sparta Rotterdam youth academy, and his love for football began to grow.
Wijnaldum has two younger brothers, Giliano Wijnaldum and a half-brother, Rajiv van La Parra. His cousin, Royston Drenthe, also played football for Real Madrid. Wijnaldum used to be known as Georginio Boateng, but he took his mother's maiden name, Wijnaldum, after her divorce.
Club Career Highlights
Starting His Football Journey
At age six, Wijnaldum quickly improved at Sparta Rotterdam. He won two championship titles in his first two seasons. Big clubs like Ajax, PSV, and Feyenoord showed interest in him. But Wijnaldum turned them down. He said he didn't watch football much and only knew famous Dutch national team players. He was happy at Sparta.
After playing for Sparta Rotterdam for seven seasons, Wijnaldum decided to join Feyenoord. He believed it would help him grow as a player. At Feyenoord, he joined a talented group of young players. In January 2007, just after turning 16, Wijnaldum was invited to train with Feyenoord's first team.
Playing for Feyenoord

On 8 April 2007, Wijnaldum played his first official match for Feyenoord. He was in the starting team against Groningen. At 16 years and 148 days old, he became the youngest player ever to play for Feyenoord's first team. He was even chosen as the best player of the match. On 2 December 2007, he scored his first goal for Feyenoord against Heracles Almelo.
In the 2008–09 season, Wijnaldum played his first European match. He scored his first European goal for Feyenoord in a game against Kalmar FF. This win helped Feyenoord move forward in the UEFA Cup. In March 2009, Wijnaldum signed a new contract with Feyenoord. On 27 February 2011, he scored four goals in a 5–1 win against Groningen. Two goals were from open play, and two were from penalties.
Time at PSV Eindhoven

On 29 June 2011, Wijnaldum moved to PSV. The transfer was reported to be worth €5 million. He played his first game for PSV on the opening day of the 2011–12 Eredivisie season. On 21 August 2011, he scored his first goal for PSV. Wijnaldum quickly became a key player for PSV, scoring goals and providing assists from midfield.
After some experienced players left in 2013, Wijnaldum became PSV's captain for the 2013–14 Eredivisie season. However, he played only 11 matches that year because of a back injury. For the 2014–15 Eredivisie season, Wijnaldum was fully fit again. He led PSV to win their first Eredivisie title since 2008.
Moving to Newcastle United
On 11 July 2015, Wijnaldum joined English Premier League club Newcastle United. He signed a five-year contract. He made his debut on 9 August, scoring a header in a 2–2 draw against Southampton. On 18 October, Wijnaldum scored four goals in a 6–2 home win against Norwich City. He was only the second Newcastle player to score more than three goals in a Premier League match.
He was named player of the match in a game against Liverpool, where he scored and helped force an own goal. He finished the season as Newcastle's top goalscorer. However, Newcastle was relegated to the Championship after that season.
Success at Liverpool

On 22 July 2016, Wijnaldum returned to the Premier League, signing for Liverpool. He was given the number 5 shirt.
2016–17 Season
Wijnaldum played his first Premier League game for Liverpool against Arsenal on 14 August 2016. He provided an assist in that match. He scored his first goal for the club in a 6–1 win over Watford on 6 November. On 31 December, he scored the only goal in Liverpool's 1–0 win over Manchester City. This goal was highly praised. Wijnaldum also scored in Liverpool's 3–1 win over Arsenal on 4 March 2017. In the final match of the 2016–17 Premier League season, Wijnaldum scored the first goal in Liverpool's 3–0 win over Middlesbrough. This win secured Liverpool a spot in the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League.
2017–18 Season
On 28 October 2017, Wijnaldum scored his first goal of the 2017–18 season in a 3–0 win against Huddersfield Town. On 2 May 2018, he scored his first away goal for an English club since 2015. This goal came in a Champions League match against Roma, helping Liverpool reach the final. His goal also helped Liverpool break the record for most goals scored in a single Champions League season. Wijnaldum played the full 90 minutes in the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final against Real Madrid, which Liverpool lost 3–1.
2018–19 Season

On 15 September 2018, Wijnaldum scored his first Premier League away goal in a 2–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur. He made his 100th appearance for Liverpool on 29 September. On 14 April 2019, he made his 100th Premier League appearance for Liverpool.
In the Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona, Wijnaldum came on as a substitute and scored twice in two minutes. These goals helped Liverpool tie the score 3–3 on aggregate. Divock Origi then scored another goal, sending Liverpool to the final. In the final, Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2–0, winning the Champions League.
2019–20 Season
At the start of the 2019–20 season, Wijnaldum was a regular starter in Liverpool's midfield. He played in the 2019 FA Community Shield against Manchester City. Liverpool lost the match on penalties. He was on the bench for the 2019 UEFA Super Cup, which Liverpool won 6–5 on penalties. This was his second trophy in three months.
On 4 December 2019, Wijnaldum scored for Liverpool in a 5–2 win against Everton in the Merseyside derby. This win extended Liverpool's unbeaten run in the league to a club-record 32 matches. He was a key player as Liverpool won their first league title in 30 years. He played in all but one of the club's 38 Premier League matches, scoring four goals.
2020–21 Season
During the 2020–21 season, Wijnaldum scored 3 goals in 51 matches for Liverpool. He helped the club reach the Champions League quarter-finals and secure a spot in the competition for the next season. On 23 May 2021, Wijnaldum played his final match for Liverpool, a 2–0 win over Crystal Palace. Manager Jürgen Klopp confirmed that Wijnaldum would leave the club when his contract ended.
Time in Paris and Rome
On 7 June 2021, Wijnaldum signed a three-year contract with Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). PSG reportedly offered him a much higher wage than Barcelona, who were also interested in him. The move was officially announced on 10 June. He chose the number 18 jersey.
Wijnaldum scored his first two goals for PSG in a 2–2 Champions League draw against RB Leipzig on 3 November 2021. His first Ligue 1 goal came on 4 December against Lens. By the end of the season, Wijnaldum had won the league title with Paris Saint-Germain.
On 4 August 2022, Serie A club Roma announced they had signed Wijnaldum on loan from PSG. He made his debut for Roma on 14 August. On 21 August, it was announced that Wijnaldum had broken a bone in his leg during training. He was expected to miss most of the season. He returned to play for Roma on 11 February 2023, almost six months later. On 12 March, Wijnaldum scored his first goal for Roma in a 4–3 loss to Sassuolo.
Playing for Al-Ettifaq
On 2 September 2023, Wijnaldum signed a three-year contract with Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq. Here, he rejoined his former Liverpool teammate, Jordan Henderson.
International Career
Youth Teams
Wijnaldum was a key player for the Netherlands under-17 squad in the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. The team finished third in their group and did not qualify for the next stage. Soon after, Wijnaldum was chosen for the Netherlands under-19 squad. Despite his good performances, the team did not qualify for the European Under-19 Championships in 2008 and 2009.
Wijnaldum was invited to the Netherlands B squad in November 2008 but could not play due to an injury. He also received an invitation to the Netherlands under-21 squad in August 2009. Wijnaldum made his official Netherlands under-21 debut on 4 September 2009, in a match against Finland.
Wijnaldum was part of the Netherlands team at the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He played three matches and scored against both Germany and Russia. The team reached the semi-finals but lost to Italy.
Senior National Team
On 30 May 2011, Wijnaldum was named in the Netherlands senior squad for friendly matches. He made his international debut against San Marino on 2 September 2011. He came on as a substitute and scored the final goal in an 11–0 win.
Wijnaldum was part of the Netherlands squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played as a substitute in the first two group matches. He started his first game of the tournament in the final group match against Chile. Wijnaldum kept his place in the starting lineup for the rest of the tournament. The Netherlands reached the semi-finals but lost to Argentina in a penalty shootout. In the third-place play-off, he scored his second goal for the Netherlands as they beat host nation Brazil 3–0.
On 9 September 2018, he played his 50th match for the Netherlands. He scored in home wins against Germany and France, helping the Netherlands qualify for the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals. He played the full match in both the semi-final win against England and the final loss to Portugal. During qualification for UEFA Euro 2020, Wijnaldum was the top goalscorer for the Netherlands with eight goals. At the tournament finals, he was the team captain because Virgil van Dijk was injured. Wijnaldum scored the first goal in the Netherlands' 3–2 win over Ukraine in their opening Euro 2020 match. He scored two more goals in the final group match, a 3–0 victory over North Macedonia.
After breaking his leg in August 2022, Wijnaldum could not play for the Netherlands at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He returned to the squad for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers in March 2023. In June 2023, Wijnaldum was part of the Dutch squad for the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals. He came on as a substitute in both the semi-final against Croatia and the third-place play-off against Italy. He scored the team's second goal in the 3–2 loss to Italy.
On 29 May 2024, Wijnaldum was named in the Netherlands' squad for UEFA Euro 2024.
Activism and Support
On 20 November 2019, after a player faced racist abuse in the Eredivisie, Wijnaldum celebrated a goal for the Netherlands against Estonia. He made a gesture towards his skin colour to show support for the player.
On 23 June 2021, Wijnaldum announced he would wear a rainbow armband during the Netherlands' UEFA Euro 2020 match against Czechia. This was to show support for the LGBT community and for German captain Manuel Neuer, who had worn a similar armband.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
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Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Feyenoord | 2006–07 | Eredivisie | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
2007–08 | Eredivisie | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | |||
2008–09 | Eredivisie | 33 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 45 | 5 | ||
2009–10 | Eredivisie | 31 | 4 | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | 38 | 5 | ||||
2010–11 | Eredivisie | 34 | 14 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 37 | 14 | |||
Total | 111 | 23 | 13 | 1 | — | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 135 | 25 | |||
PSV Eindhoven | 2011–12 | Eredivisie | 32 | 8 | 6 | 2 | — | 12 | 4 | — | 50 | 14 | ||
2012–13 | Eredivisie | 33 | 14 | 6 | 1 | — | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 45 | 20 | ||
2013–14 | Eredivisie | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 15 | 4 | |||
2014–15 | Eredivisie | 33 | 14 | 3 | 2 | — | 8 | 2 | — | 44 | 18 | |||
Total | 109 | 40 | 15 | 5 | — | 29 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 154 | 56 | |||
Newcastle United | 2015–16 | Premier League | 38 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 11 | ||
Liverpool | 2016–17 | Premier League | 36 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 42 | 6 | ||
2017–18 | Premier League | 33 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 1 | — | 50 | 2 | ||
2018–19 | Premier League | 35 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | — | 47 | 5 | ||
2019–20 | Premier League | 37 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 6 | |
2020–21 | Premier League | 38 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 3 | |
Total | 179 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 43 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 237 | 22 | ||
Paris Saint-Germain | 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 3 | |
Roma (loan) | 2022–23 | Serie A | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | — | 23 | 2 | ||
Al-Ettifaq | 2023–24 | Saudi Pro League | 29 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 31 | 7 | |||
2024–25 | Saudi Pro League | 34 | 14 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 1 | 42 | 15 | |||
Total | 63 | 20 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 6 | 1 | 73 | 22 | ||||
Career total | 544 | 113 | 39 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 94 | 18 | 14 | 2 | 699 | 141 |
International Appearances
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Netherlands | 2011 | 2 | 1 |
2012 | 0 | 0 | |
2013 | 1 | 0 | |
2014 | 13 | 1 | |
2015 | 9 | 2 | |
2016 | 11 | 3 | |
2017 | 9 | 1 | |
2018 | 8 | 2 | |
2019 | 9 | 8 | |
2020 | 8 | 3 | |
2021 | 15 | 5 | |
2022 | 1 | 0 | |
2023 | 4 | 1 | |
2024 | 6 | 1 | |
Total | 96 | 28 |
- Scores and results list Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Wijnaldum goal
No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
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1 | 2 September 2011 | Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands | 1 | ![]() |
11–0 | 11–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying |
2 | 12 July 2014 | Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília, Brazil | 12 | ![]() |
3–0 | 3–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup |
3 | 12 June 2015 | Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia | 20 | ![]() |
1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
4 | 10 October 2015 | Astana Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan | 23 | ![]() |
1–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
5 | 1 June 2016 | Stadion Energa Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland | 29 | ![]() |
2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
6 | 4 June 2016 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria | 30 | ![]() |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
7 | 1 September 2016 | Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands | 31 | ![]() |
1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly |
8 | 9 June 2017 | De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands | 40 | ![]() |
3–0 | 5–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
9 | 13 October 2018 | Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands | 51 | ![]() |
3–0 | 3–0 | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League A |
10 | 16 November 2018 | De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands | 52 | ![]() |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League A |
11 | 21 March 2019 | De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands | 54 | ![]() |
2–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying |
12 | 6 September 2019 | Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany | 58 | ![]() |
4–2 | 4–2 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying |
13 | 9 September 2019 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 59 | ![]() |
4–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying |
14 | 13 October 2019 | Dinamo Stadium, Minsk, Belarus | 61 | ![]() |
1–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying |
15 | 2–0 | ||||||
16 | 19 November 2019 | Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands | 62 | ![]() |
1–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying |
17 | 3–0 | ||||||
18 | 4–0 | ||||||
19 | 15 November 2020 | Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands | 69 | ![]() |
1–0 | 3–1 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A |
20 | 2–0 | ||||||
21 | 18 November 2020 | Silesian Stadium, Chorzów, Poland | 70 | ![]() |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A |
22 | 30 March 2021 | Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar | 73 | ![]() |
4–0 | 7–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
23 | 13 June 2021 | Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands | 76 | ![]() |
1–0 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 2020 |
24 | 21 June 2021 | Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands | 78 | ![]() |
2–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 |
25 | 3–0 | ||||||
26 | 4 September 2021 | Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands | 81 | ![]() |
3–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
27 | 18 June 2023 | De Grolsch Veste, Enschede, Netherlands | 90 | ![]() |
2–3 | 2–3 | 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals |
28 | 22 March 2024 | Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands | 91 | ![]() |
2–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
Awards and Achievements
Feyenoord
- KNVB Cup: 2007–08
PSV
- Eredivisie: 2014–15
- KNVB Cup: 2011–12
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2012
Liverpool
- Premier League: 2019–20
- UEFA Champions League: 2018–19; runner-up: 2017–18
- UEFA Super Cup: 2019
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2019
Paris Saint-Germain
- Ligue 1: 2021–22
Roma
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2022–23
Netherlands
- FIFA World Cup third place: 2014
- UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2018–19
Individual Awards
- Dutch Footballer of the Year: 2014–15
- UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2018–19
- UEFA Nations League Finals Team of the Tournament: 2019
- Rotterdam Talent of the Year: 2007
See also
In Spanish: Georginio Wijnaldum para niños