When he was called up to the senior team at Feyenoord just after his 16th birthday, Georginio Wijnaldum was singled out as the next big thing from the Dutch youth setup. He further punctuated his credentials in his professional debut match by delivering a man of the match performance. After 8 seasons of strong performances, he left the Netherlands for Newcastle United in the summer of 2015. Although he performed well at the club, the team’s overall performance was poor and they were relegated. However, he managed to secure a move to Liverpool where he became a key clog of Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Born name

Georginio Gregion Emile Wijnaldum

nickname

Gini

Sun sign

Scorpio

Place of birth

Rotterdam, Netherlands

nationality

training

Georginio Wijnaldum started his football journey in Sparta Rotterdam youth setup . He later joined the youth academy of another Dutch club, Feyenoord .

occupation

Professional soccer player

family

• Vater – Ramon van La Parra
• Mutter – Maureen Wijnaldum
• Siblings – Rajiv van La Parra (younger paternal half-brother) (professional footballer), Rogerio Wijnaldum (younger brother), Giliano Wijnaldum (younger brother) (professional footballer)

Manager

Football Mix B.V.

Position

midfield player

Shirt Number

25 – Feyenoord Rotterdam

10 – PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands National Team

5 – Newcastle United, Liverpool FC, Netherlands national team

18, 8, 7 – Netherlands national team

To build

Athletic

Height

5 feet 9 inches or 175 cm

weight

70 kg or 154.5 lbs

girlfriend/spouse

Georginio Wijnaldum has dated

1. Virginia Braaf – Georginio has a longstanding relationship with Virginia Braaf. They met at school and had been together since they were 12 years old. In August 2017, he posted an update on his Instagram account to reveal that Virginia had given birth to their son, Jacian Emile Wijnaldum. She also gave birth to two daughters – Ki-yeann and Aysïa-Mae.

race/ethnicity

Schwarz

He has Afro-Suriname ancestry.

hair colour

Schwarz

eye color

dark brown

sexual orientation

Just

distinguishing features

Short cut hairstyle

brand promotion

Georginio Wijnaldum has a personal endorsement deal with Adidas and according to the deal, he wears Adidas shoes for his professional matches.

Known for

• His great performances in the Dutch league for 8 seasons. His Dutch league cap was split between Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven and he made over 100 appearances for both established Dutch clubs.
• His solid and consistent performances for English giants Liverpool FC. He was a driving force in midfield for Jurgen Klopp’s team.

First football game

In April 2007 he made his professional debut with Feyenoord in the Eredivisie home game against Groningen. At the time of his debut, he was just 16 years and 148 days old and made an immediate impression by winning Man of the Match award in a 4-0 game

In August 2011, he made his first appearance for PSV in the opening game of the Dutch top-flight against AZ. His team lost the match 3-1.

In August 2016, Georginio made his first Premier League appearance for Liverpool in a game against Arsenal. He picked up an assist on his debut and played the first 80 minutes of the game.

In September 2011 he made his international debut for Dutch national team in a friendly match against San Marino. He was sent in the 86th minute and scored the final goal in the 11-0 win.

Strengthen

• Dribbling
• pass
• Runs from midfield
• shoot

weaknesses

• air duel
• tackle
• Defensive work rate

Georginio Wijnaldum favorite things

• Christmas Movie – Home Alone (1990)

Georginio Wijnaldum Facts

1. After she divorced his father, hismother decided to move from Rotterdam to Amsterdam. However, Wijnaldum decided to stay and spent most of his childhood in Rotterdam, where he lived with his grandmother.
2. During his childhood, he initially did not have much interest in becoming a football player. Instead, he wanted to be an acrobat or a gymnast.
3. His interest in football was sparked by a visit to Sparta Rotterdam’s opening day with his nephew. He was later invited to the club’s youth academy. He slowly started to fall in love with the game.
4. He was 6 years old when he joined the youth academy. As he made his way he was courted by PSV, Ajax and Feyenoord. After playing for Rotterdam for seven seasons, he finally decided to join Feyenoord as he felt they would be the best fit for his development.
5. When he made his Eredivisie debut for Feyenoord aged 16 years and 148 days, he became the youngest debutant in the club’s history.
6. In December 2007, he scored his first Eredivisie goal in his side’s 6–0 home win over Heracles Almelo.
7. In June 2011 it was announced that PSV had bought Wijnaldum from Feyenoord, with the transfer deal said to have cost an estimated €5m.
8. At the start of the 2013/14 season he was made the captain of the senior national team by the Feyenoord club management. However, his participation in the season was limited by his back injury and he only played 11 games.
9. The following season he campaigned as captain for an Eredivisie title. He was quite productive throughout the season, scoring 14 goals in 33 games.
10. He joined English side Newcastle United in July 2015 in a deal worth £14.5million. He has been reported to be Mike Ashley’s regime’s most expensive signing.
11. He was quite productive in his only season at Newcastle as he scored 11 goals in 38 league games. However, it was not a good season for the club as they were relegated from the English top flight.
12. Liverpool initially paid £23million to sign Wijnaldum from Newcastle United in July 2016. The Merseyside club had agreed to pay £2million in contingent surcharges.
13. In November 2016 he scored his first goal for Liverpool in a league game against Watford. His team won the game 6-1.
14. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter.