Georginio Wijnaldum

Georginio Wijnaldum
Personal information
Date of Birth	11 November 1990
Place of Birth	Rotterdam, Netherlands
Height	1.75 m (5'9")
Position	Midfielder
Liverpool statistics
Squad no.	5
Years	2016-
Appearances	36
Goals	5

Georginio Gregion Emile Wijnaldum (born 11 November 1990) is a Dutch international footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liverpool, signing from Newcastle in 2016.

Liverpool career

In the summer of 2016, Liverpool were linked with Georginio Wijnaldum, who had scored eleven goals for a relegated Newcastle side the season prior. The Dutchman had appeared in a variety of roles for the Geordies, and despite a lot of criticism from Newcastle fans it was made clear that Jurgen Klopp was interested in signing him.

Originally there were a lot of reports that it would be a 'player(s) plus cash deal', with Lucas and Jon Flanagan both being linked with a move away, but on 22 July 2016 it was confirmed that Wijnaldum had signed for the club for a reported fee of around £25,000,000. The Dutchman took the number 5 shirt for the 2016-17 season, last worn by Daniel Agger.

On 31 July 2016, Wijnaldum made his Liverpool debut, starting in a 2-0 friendly win over AC Milan. He made his competitive debut on 14 August 2016, starting in a 4-3 opening day win at Arsenal. Wijnaldum assisted Adam Lallana's goal with a good aerial ball across the penalty area. Due to unfortunate luck with injury, Wijnaldum had to wait until 6 November 2016 to open his account for the Reds, tapping into an empty net to round off a 6-1 win over Watford.

On 31 December 2016, Wijnaldum scored the winning goal with a bullet header in a 1-0 victory over title rivals Manchester City. Exactly a month later, Wijnaldum scored the equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea, another header. A week later, Wijnaldum put in a widely acclaimed performance in a 2-0 win over Tottenham, and assisted Sadio Mane's opener.

Wijnaldum continued his good form at home to top sides on 4 March 2017, when he scored the vital third goal to cap off a well worked counter attack and give Liverpool a 3-1 win over Arsenal. A week later, the Dutchman netted the equaliser in an eventual 2-1 win over Burnley.

Honours

Individual

• Standard Chartered Player of the Month: 2 (January 2017, March 2017)

Stats

Season	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Other		Total
	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
2016-17	30	5	1	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	36	5
Total	30	5	1	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	36	5