Player Profile

At sixteen years old Gini Wijnaldum was Feyenoord's youngest ever player when he made his debut for them towards the end of the 2006/07 season. A product of their youth system, he remained there until 2011 when he was transferred to PSV Eindhoven, where he was a consistent performer getting goals and assists from midfield. Only in 2013-14 when Gini regularly was out with a back problem did he fail to reach double figures.

A £14.5 million transfer to Newcastle took place in the summer of 2015 after Wijnaldum had helped PSV to the Eredivisie title. He scored eleven goals from midfield but was unable to prevent Newcastle from being relegated. Two of those goals were against Liverpool in December 2015 and seemed to make a lasting impression on Klopp. Wijnaldum covers a lot of ground, wins possession, is quick, dangerous running from deep into the box and good in the air. Gini was a regular in his first two seasons at Liverpool, although as at Newcastle continued to find the net at home but not away. This was quite possibly down to him adopting a more defensive role in away games. After scoring in Roma in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final in May 2018, Gini finally got a Premiership away goal against Tottenham at Wembley on 15 September 2018.

Despite the arrival of Naby Keita and Fabinho, coupled with James Milner showing no signs of easing up, Wijnaldum featured 35 times in the Premier League during 2018/19. Gini was disappointed to start the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona on the bench but came on in the second half to score twice in as many minutes to level the tie. He started the final against Madrid but was replaced by Milner shortly after the hour mark, but he is a Champions League winners' medal richer. 

Wijnaldum was a firm fixture in Liverpool's midfield in the unique 2019/20 season, showered by praise by Klopp in October 2019. “It is just so obvious Gini's importance. It is both directions, small spaces, big spaces, it is hard challenges, fine football, pretty much all of that. Is he the perfect midfielder? From the skillset 100 per cent. He has all the things you need. There was his header against Barcelona too. He is not the tallest, but he is good in the air. He is a good jumper with good timing, all that stuff. It all makes him a pretty good footballer. That is how it should be. It is not my fault if he goes under the radar. You cannot ask me why he goes under the radar. I don’t set the radar!” Klopp concluded.

Wijnaldum signed for Paris St Germain in the summer of 2021 after his contract expired following five eventful years at Liverpool. However things didn't go quite to plan playing alongside Neymar, Mbappé and Messi. He was substituted in twelve of his eighteen league starts and at the end of the campaign was named Flop of the Season by Get French Football News. Wijnaldum was given a clear indication of where he fitted in at PSG when he was left out of a pre season tour squad in July 2022 and soon afterwards he joined Roma on a season long loan deal. He was limited to fourteen appearances due to a tibia fracture and for 2023/24 was reunited with Jordan Henderson, joining Saudi pro league side Al Ettifaq. Unlike his former Reds teammate, Wijnaldum remained in Saudi for the full season, scoring six goals in 29 appearances and taking over as captain when Henderson left for Ajax in January 2024. Wijnaldum was named in the Dutch squad for Euro 2024 but was limited to three substitute appearances in the group stages before remaining on the bench for their three knock out games. During the 2024/25 season, Georginio Wijnaldum delivered an outstanding performance for Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League. He featured in 34 matches, starting 33, and scored 14 goals, making him the club's top scorer for the season. Additionally, he provided 4 assists, contributing significantly to the team's offensive efforts.