10 Things to Know about Georginio Wijnaldum!

After completing his move from Paris Saint-Germain this week, we've gathered up a few key details to know about the all-action central midfielder...

Starting With The Pronunciation...

The first name is surely easy enough, even for Italians - written Georginio, pronounced exactly like Giorginio.

The surname might be a bit harder for those unfamiliar with it, however. In Dutch the phonetic pronunciation of Wijnaldum is 'Vainaldem'.

You can listen to the correct pronunciation here!

Where It All Began

Wijnaldum was born in Rotterdam on 11 November 1990.

Both Georginio's parents are from Suriname, the former Dutch colony that still retains close links to the European country (it is the only South American nation that has Dutch as its official language).

Wijnaldum is certainly not the first great Dutch player to emerge from Surinamese roots: Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard being two others.

His Position

A central midfielder by trade, Wijnaldum has increasingly carved out a reputation for himself as an all-action presence in the centre of the park, having perhaps been more renowned for his attacking talents duringt he early phase of his career.

With 109 goals in 606 senior appearances to date that eye for goal has certainly not been lost, but during his time at Liverpool he regularly impressed with his ability to contribute in all phases of the game in midfield.

A Record at Feyenoord

After starting his career with hometown side Sparta Rotterdam, as a teenager he made the move to Feyenoord - with whom he would get his big breakthrough. For them he made his debut against Groningen in April 2007, when he was still just 16 years old.

Indeed, in that moment he became the historic Dutch club's youngest-ever debutant, although last year that record was finally stolen by Antoni Milambo (16 years and 131 days, 17 younger than Georginio was).

A Career at the Top

In 2011 Georginio joined PSV Eindhoven, with whom he would win the Dutch title, a Dutch Cup (having previously won it with Feyenoord) and the Dutch Supercup.

He would move to Newcastle in 2015, scoring 11 goals and providing five assists in his one and only season with a struggling Magpies side in the Premier League. That form earned him interest from Liverpool, to whom he moved the following summer.

At Liverpool he won almost everything: the Premier League, the Champions League, the Club World Cup and the European Super Cup.

In 2021 he left the Reds and joined Paris Saint-Germain, winning Ligue 1 the following year.

His Nickname

To many he is simply Gini - although even the player himself can't quite remember who was the first to give him that particular title.

"A friend called me Gini, and since then I have been Gini!" he said.

The Chant for Gini

Liverpool fans eventually dedicated a special chant for Wijnaldum. Warning: once you've heard it once it will be stuck in your head for a while!

It's not just the fans who like the chant...

The chant takes its inspiration from the song "This Girl" by Cookin' on 3 Burners.

His Childhood Idol

Georginio's hero as a kid was Zinedine Zidane.

"He was technically very good and made everything look easy," Wijnaldum has said.

Goals for the National Team

Now an established member of the Dutch national team, Wijnaldum has shown his eye for goal while on duty with his country on more than one occasion.

Here are 10 great goals from him for the Netherlands!

On Social Media

It's fair to say that a lot of Roma fans are now well aware of Wijnaldum's social media presence, having following his posts avidly - and sometimes searching for hidden meaning to them! - over the past few weeks.

Nevertheless, for those who have not already done so, you can follow him on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok.

He also has his own website!