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Georginio Wijnaldum
20160604 AUT NED 8884 (cropped).jpg
Wijnaldum lining up for the Netherlands in 2016
Personal information
Date of birth (1990-11-11) 11 November 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth Rotterdam, Netherlands
Height 1.75 m
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current club 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 36 (7)
National team
2005–2007 Netherlands U17 15 (4)
2007–2009 Netherlands U19 17 (5)
2009–2013 Netherlands U21 24 (10)
2011– Netherlands 96 (28)
Honours
Representing  Netherlands
FIFA World Cup
Third 2014
UEFA Nations League
Runner-up 2019
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:19, 20 October 2024 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:34, 25 June 2024 (UTC)

Georginio Gregion Emile Wijnaldum (pronounced [dʑoːrˈdʑiɲoː ʋɛiˈnɑldʏm]; born 11 November 1990) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq, whom he captains, and the Netherlands national team. He is noted for his high work-rate and impressive technical ability.

A youth product of Eredivisie side Feyenoord, Wijnaldum became the youngest player ever to represent the club when he made his debut in 2007, and went on to play 134 matches over the course of a five-year spell, winning the KNVB Cup in 2008. Following his departure from Feyenoord, Wijnaldum spent four seasons at PSV, where he won the KNVB Cup in his first season and the Eredivisie in his last, a season where he also earned the Dutch Footballer of the Year award.

In 2015, Wijnaldum joined Premier League side Newcastle United for £14.5 million, before departing a year later to join Liverpool in a £23 million deal. At Liverpool, Wijnaldum took on a role deeper in the midfield than in his previous clubs. In the 2018–19 season, Wijnaldum scored twice against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final second leg comeback as Liverpool went through 4–3 on aggregate, and he started as the club were victorious in the 2019 UEFA Champions League final. In the following season, he played an integral role as Liverpool won the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and Premier League, the club's first league title in 30 years. Wijnaldum appeared 237 times in a Liverpool shirt and is often regarded as a club legend who played a major part in Liverpool’s successes over his years at the club. Wijnaldum signed for French club Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 on a free transfer.

Wijnaldum is also a full Dutch international, having earned over 90 caps since making his debut in 2011, and was a member of the squads which finished third at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and runners-up in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League.

Early life

Wijnaldum was born and raised in Rotterdam, South Holland. When he was six years old, his parents, who are both of Surinamese descent, went through a divorce resulting in his mother moving to Amsterdam. However, Wijnaldum stayed in Rotterdam and moved in with his grandmother, where he lived for the remainder of his childhood.

In Wijnaldum's younger years, he never showed interest in football. He never played with a ball or watched football on TV. His ambition was to become a gymnast or acrobat. This changed when Wijnaldum's cousin asked him to come to Sparta Rotterdam's opening day with him; then he was invited to the Sparta Rotterdam youth academy and his love for football started to grow slowly.

Wijnaldum has two younger brothers, one of whom, Giliano Wijnaldum, most recently played for Sparta Rotterdam, as well as a half-brother, Rajiv van La Parra, who most recently played for Apollon Smyrnis. His cousin, Royston Drenthe, was another Feyenoord academy product who most notably played for Real Madrid.

Wijnaldum was formerly known as Georginio Boateng, but following his mother's divorce, he took her maiden name (Wijnaldum).

Club career

Early career

At age six, Wijnaldum developed himself rapidly at Sparta Rotterdam, winning two championship titles in his first two seasons. Soon Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord showed interest in the youngster, but Wijnaldum declined all offers: "I didn't watch football on TV and I didn't know any of the first team players of Sparta or any of the top clubs. I only knew the real famous players of Oranje, so the offers didn't impress me much. I had a good time at Sparta, I wanted to stay." After playing for Sparta Rotterdam for seven seasons and representing the Netherlands at various youth levels, Wijnaldum decided to accept a new Feyenoord offer. He was convinced playing for Feyenoord was better for his development as a football player and believed in Feyenoord's vision.

At Feyenoord, Wijnaldum joined a successful generation with the likes of Leroy Fer and Luís Pedro. Wijnaldum stood out as an exceptional talent. In January 2007, a few weeks after turning 16, Wijnaldum was invited to the first team's training camp in Belek, Turkey, by Feyenoord manager Erwin Koeman.

Feyenoord

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Wijnaldum playing for Feyenoord in 2007

On 8 April 2007, Wijnaldum made his official debut in Feyenoord's starting line-up in the 4–0 Eredivisie home defeat to Groningen. At the age of 16 and 148 days, Wijnaldum became the youngest player ever to play in Feyenoord's first team and was chosen Feyenoord's man of the match. On 2 December 2007, Wijnaldum scored his first Eredivisie goal for Feyenoord, against Heracles Almelo in a 6–0 home win.

In the 2008–09 season, Wijnaldum made his official European debut. On 18 September 2008, he was named in the starting line-up in the 1–0 UEFA Cup home loss to Kalmar FF. On 2 October 2008, he scored his first European goal for Feyenoord in the return match over Kalmar FF, which resulted in a 1–2 win and a place in the competition's group stage.

On 6 March 2009, Wijnaldum signed a new contract at Feyenoord which would have kept him at De Kuip until summer 2012. On 27 February 2011, he helped his struggling Feyenoord to a 5–1 demolition of Groningen, scoring four goals. He scored two goals from open play in the first half and two more from the penalty spot to add his total for the season to eight goals.

PSV

Dinamo-PSV (7)
Wijnaldum playing for PSV in 2014

On 29 June 2011, the technical director of Feyenoord announced the club had reached a transfer deal for Wijnaldum reported to be worth €5 million with PSV. On the opening day of the 2011–12 Eredivisie season, Wijnaldum made his debut for PSV in a 3–1 loss against AZ. On 21 August 2011, Wijnaldum scored his first goal for PSV in a 3–0 victory against ADO Den Haag. Since joining the club, Wijnaldum established himself in the starting 11 as he scored goals and developed assists from his attacking role in midfield in Eredivisie, the KNVB Cup and the UEFA Europa League. After the retirement of Mark van Bommel and the departure of Kevin Strootman in the summer of 2013, Wijnaldum was named PSV's captain for the 2013–14 Eredivisie season. However, he played just 11 matches that year, scoring four goals, due to a back injury. For the 2014–15 Eredivisie season, Wijnaldum returned to full fitness and captained PSV to their first Eredivisie title since 2008.

Newcastle United

On 11 July 2015, Wijnaldum joined English Premier League club Newcastle United on a five-year contract, for a reported transfer fee of £14.5 million, making him the most expensive signing of Mike Ashley's ownership. Wijnaldum made his debut on 9 August as Newcastle began the season with a 2–2 home draw against Southampton, heading in a goal from Gabriel Obertan's cross. He would score his second Newcastle goal in a 2–2 draw with Chelsea on 26 September. On 18 October, Wijnaldum scored four goals in a 6–2 home win over Norwich City, becoming only the second Newcastle player to score more than three goals in a Premier League match. Wijnaldum was considered the player of the match in a game against Liverpool when he forced Martin Škrtel into an own goal as well as scoring himself in a 2–0 win. He scored against Manchester United in a 3–3 draw on 12 January 2016, and again four days later in a 2–1 win against West Ham United, and later scored twice against Tottenham Hotspur in a 5–1 win on the final day of the season, finishing the season as Newcastle's top goalscorer. However, after the season, Newcastle were relegated to the Championship.

Georginio Wijnaldum Liverpool vs Hull City 2016-09-24
Wijnaldum playing for Liverpool in 2016

Liverpool

On 22 July 2016, Wijnaldum returned to the Premier League, signing for Liverpool on a five-year contract, for an initial £23 million with a further £2 million in conditional add-ons. He was given the number 5 shirt.

2016–17 season

Wijnaldum made his Premier League debut for Liverpool against Arsenal on 14 August 2016, where he played 80 minutes and provided an assist for Adam Lallana before being replaced by Kevin Stewart. He scored his first goal for the club in a 6–1 thrashing of Watford on 6 November. On 31 December, he scored the match's only goal with a powerful header in Liverpool's 1–0 win over Manchester City to take Liverpool four points clear in second. He was highly praised for his goal. Wijnaldum sealed Liverpool's 3–1 win over Arsenal on 4 March 2017 with a close-range finish in stoppage time. In the final match of the 2016–17 Premier League season, with Liverpool needing a win over Middlesbrough to secure a top-four finish and a 2017–18 UEFA Champions League berth, Wijnaldum opened the scoring with a first-half stoppage time goal as Liverpool won 3–0.

Liver-SM 2017 (10)
Wijnaldum playing for Liverpool in 2017

2017–18 season

On 28 October 2017, Wijnaldum scored his first goal of the 2017–18 season, scoring the third goal in Liverpool's 3–0 win over newly-promoted Huddersfield Town. On 2 May 2018, Wijnaldum scored his first away goal since May 2015, and his first for an English club, when he netted in a 7–6 aggregate victory over Roma to help Liverpool progress to the final of the 2017–18 Champions League. His goal also saw Liverpool break the competition's record for the most goals scored in a single campaign, with the club's tally of 46 surpassing the record of 45 previously held by Barcelona. Wijnaldum played for Liverpool in the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final against Real Madrid, playing the full 90 minutes as Liverpool lost 1–3.

2018–19 season

LFC Parade 2019 01 Georginio Wijnaldum
Wijnaldum during the victory parade after Liverpool won the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final

On 15 September 2018, Wijnaldum scored his first ever Premier League away goal, scoring the opening goal in a 2–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur. He made his 100th appearance for the club on 29 September in a 1–1 Premier League draw with Chelsea. On 14 April 2019, and against the same opposition, he made his 100th Premier League appearance for Liverpool. Notably coming on as a substitute in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, Wijnaldum scored twice in two minutes to draw Liverpool level with Barcelona at 3–3 on aggregate before Divock Origi's second goal of the night sent Liverpool to the final. In the final, Liverpool went on to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2–0.

2019–20 season

Georginio Wjnaldum UEFA Super Cup 2019
Wijnaldum with Liverpool after winning the 2019 UEFA Super Cup

At the start of the 2019–20 season, Wijnaldum was first choice in Liverpool's competitive midfield selection. Following Manchester City's FA Cup and League double the previous season, Liverpool were invited to the 2019 FA Community Shield as the league runners-up. Wijnaldum was named in the starting lineup, playing the full match and was one of Liverpool's penalty takers in the subsequent penalty shoot-out but missed what turned out to be the crucial penalty as Man City won 5–4 on spot-kicks. After starting against Norwich City in the Red's opening Premier League game, he was on the bench for the 2019 UEFA Super Cup which Liverpool had qualified for via last seasons Champions League win. Wijnaldum was brought on for James Milner in the 64th minute. He played the remainder of the game but was not included among the penalty takers for the resulting shoot-out. Liverpool ended up winning 6–5 on penalties as Wijnaldum won his second trophy in three months. On 4 December 2019, just two days after being voted 26th in the polls for the 2019 Ballon d'Or award, Wijnaldum scored for Liverpool in the club's 5–2 Merseyside derby win over Everton as Liverpool extended their unbeaten run in league football to a club-record 32 matches. He was one of Liverpool's key players as they won their first league title in 30 years, playing 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 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool. He helped the club make the quarter-finals of the Champions League and secure a spot for the following season in the competition. On 23 May 2021, Wijnaldum played his final match for Liverpool, a 2–0 win over Crystal Palace. Manager Jürgen Klopp officially confirmed his departure from the club at the end of his contract.

Paris Saint-Germain

On 7 June 2021, Wijnaldum signed a three-year contract with Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), as reported by Fabrizio Romano and The Guardian. PSG reportedly "hijacked" a move for the midfielder by La Liga club Barcelona, offering him "twice the wage" Barcelona had offered. The move was officially announced on 10 June, and Wijnaldum’s presentation at PSG was on 22 July. 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 in a 1–1 away draw with Lens on 4 December, when he rescued a point with an injury-time header. By the end of the season, Wijnaldum had won the league title with Paris Saint-Germain.

Loan to Roma

On 4 August 2022, Serie A club Roma announced the signing of Wijnaldum, on loan from PSG. As part of the agreement, Roma received an option to make the move permanent at the end of the 2022–23 season. On 14 August, he made his debut for the club, as a substitute, in a 1–0 away win over Salernitana. On 21 August, it was announced that Wijnaldum had suffered a tibia fracture in training, and that he would be expected to miss the majority of the season. He made his return to competition with Roma on 11 February 2023, almost six months later, as a substitute in a 1–1 away draw against Lecce. On 12 March, Wijnaldum scored his first goal for Roma in a 4–3 home defeat to Sassuolo, a chip over the goalkeeper in stoppage time.

Al-Ettifaq

On 2 September 2023, Wijnaldum signed for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq on a three-year contract, in which he rejoined his former teammate at Liverpool, Jordan Henderson.

International career

Youth

Wijnaldum was one of the key players of the Netherlands under-17 squad on the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Belgium. However, the team finished third in their group behind England and Belgium, failing to qualify for the knockout stage. Quickly after the tournament, Wijnaldum was selected for the Netherlands under-19 squad. Despite excellent individual performances, the team underachieved and failed to qualify for the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in the Czech Republic and 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Ukraine.

On 12 November 2008, Wijnaldum was invited to the Netherlands B squad by manager Johan Neeskens but had to deny the invitation due to an injury.

Wijnaldum had to deny his first Netherlands under-21 invitation on 9 August 2009. He received an invitation for the friendly match against England by manager Cor Pot. Wijnaldum made his official Netherlands under-21 debut on 4 September 2009 in a 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against Finland, which ended in a 2–0 victory.

Wijnaldum was selected for the Netherlands at the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, where he made three appearances and scored against both Germany and Russia, as the Jong Oranje reached the semi-final stage, where they were beaten by Italy.

Senior

De Guzman Wijnaldum NL 2015
Wijnaldum (right) training alongside Jonathan de Guzman (left) with the Netherlands in 2015

On 30 May 2011, Wijnaldum was named in the Netherlands senior squad for friendlies against Brazil and Uruguay, but did not play in either match. He made his international debut in the match against San Marino on 2 September 2011, appearing as a substitute in the 86th minute and promptly scoring the final goal in an 11–0 win.

Wijnaldum was a member of the Netherlands squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where he appeared as a substitute in the team's opening two group matches against Spain and Australia. After making his first start of the tournament in the final Group B match against Chile, Wijnaldum retained his place in the starting line-up for the remainder of the Netherlands' run to the semi-finals, where they were beaten by Argentina in a penalty shootout. In the third-place play-off, he scored his second goal for the Oranje as they defeated host nation Brazil 3–0 .

On 9 September 2018, he made his 50th appearance for the Netherlands in a 2–1 UEFA Nations League loss to France. He went on to score in home wins against Germany and France as the Netherlands qualified for the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals, where he played the full match in both the semi-final win against England and final loss to Portugal.

During qualification for UEFA Euro 2020, Wijnaldum was the leading goalscorer for the Netherlands with eight goals. At the tournament finals, he captained the nation in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, who was recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Wijnaldum scored the first goal of the Netherlands' 3–2 win over Ukraine in their opening Euro 2020 match and scored a further two goals in the final Group C match – a 3–0 victory of North Macedonia.

After sustaining a fractured tibia while playing for A.S. Roma in August 2022, Wijnaldum was unable to feature for the Netherlands at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He returned to the squad for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers in March 2023, where he started both matches against France and Gibraltar.

In June 2023, Wijnaldum was a member of the Dutch squad for the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals. He appeared as a substitute against both Croatia in the semi-final and Italy in the third place play-off, scoring the team's second goal of a 3–2 loss in the latter.

On 29 May 2024, Wijnaldum was named in the Netherlands' squad for UEFA Euro 2024.

Activism

On 20 November 2019, following racist abuse aimed at Ahmad Mendes Moreira in the Eredivisie, Wijnaldum celebrated a goal for the Netherlands against Estonia by gesturing at his skin colour in support of Mendes Moreira.

On 23 June 2021, Wijnaldum announced that he would wear a rainbow armband under the slogan OneLove during the Netherlands' UEFA Euro 2020 round of 16 match against Czechia in a show of solidarity to both the LGBT community and German captain Manuel Neuer who had a case opened against him at UEFA for wearing the rainbow armband. The case was later dismissed.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
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 8 1 1 0 0 0 9 1
Total 37 7 3 1 0 0 40 8
Career total 518 100 38 8 8 0 94 18 8 1 666 127

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
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
List of international goals scored by Georginio Wijnaldum
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 2 September 2011 Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands 1  San Marino 11–0 11–0 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
2 12 July 2014 Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília, Brazil 12  Brazil 3–0 3–0 2014 FIFA World Cup
3 12 June 2015 Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia 20  Latvia 1–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
4 10 October 2015 Astana Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan 23  Kazakhstan 1–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
5 1 June 2016 Stadion Energa Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland 29  Poland 2–1 2–1 Friendly
6 4 June 2016 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 30  Austria 2–0 2–0 Friendly
7 1 September 2016 Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands 31  Greece 1–0 1–2 Friendly
8 9 June 2017 De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands 40  Luxembourg 3–0 5–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
9 13 October 2018 Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands 51  Germany 3–0 3–0 2018–19 UEFA Nations League A
10 16 November 2018 De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands 52  France 1–0 2–0 2018–19 UEFA Nations League A
11 21 March 2019 De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands 54  Belarus 2–0 4–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
12 6 September 2019 Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany 58  Germany 4–2 4–2 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
13 9 September 2019 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia 59  Estonia 4–0 4–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
14 13 October 2019 Dinamo Stadium, Minsk, Belarus 61  Belarus 1–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
15 2–0
16 19 November 2019 Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands 62  Estonia 1–0 5–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
17 3–0
18 4–0
19 15 November 2020 Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands 69  Bosnia and Herzegovina 1–0 3–1 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A
20 2–0
21 18 November 2020 Silesian Stadium, Chorzów, Poland 70  Poland 2–1 2–1 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A
22 30 March 2021 Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar 73  Gibraltar 4–0 7–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
23 13 June 2021 Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands 76  Ukraine 1–0 3–2 UEFA Euro 2020
24 21 June 2021 Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands 78  Macedonia 2–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2020
25 3–0
26 4 September 2021 Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands 81  Montenegro 3–0 4–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
27 18 June 2023 De Grolsch Veste, Enschede, Netherlands 90  Italy 2–3 2–3 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals
28 22 March 2024 Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands 91  Scotland 2–0 4–0 Friendly

Honours

Feyenoord

PSV

Liverpool

Paris Saint-Germain

Roma

Netherlands

Individual

  • 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

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Georginio Wijnaldum para niños

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