Georginio Wijnaldum is set to leave Liverpool after an emotional farewell at Anfield in front of 10,000 fans.
Gini Wijnaldum joined Liverpool as a £25million midfielder from Newcastle and leaves as a Liverpool club legend after spending 5 years with the club, which included a Premier League and Champions League triumph. In those 5 years, the Dutch international bagged a total of 258 appearances and scored on 26 occasions. Gini Wijnaldum has captained his side on multiple occasions and is considered to be a Liverpool legend, especially for his contribution in the 2019 Champions League and 2020 Premier League triumphs. Alongside club captain Jordan Henderson, James Milner and his Netherlands colleague Virgil van Dijk, Wijnaldum forms one of a quartet of captains for Klopp and the Liverpool fans will always remember and thank him for those two crucial goals against Barcelona which helped the club come back from a 3 – 0 deficit to win the tie 4 – 3.
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For Wijnaldum, it was an emotional moment to share the last day of his Liverpool career in front of 10,000 supporters at Anfield. He had a perfect ending to his Liverpool career while receiving a guard of honor and fans chanting his name. In his post-match interview with Sky Sports, he said, “I’m fighting against tears right now. The people in Liverpool have shown me love during the five years. I will miss them you know. It’s really special. Since I’ve joined the fans have sung my name. Week-in, week-out they saw I was giving 100% to give everything for this club. That’s what the supporters want to see and that’s what they appreciate from me. It is something I’m going to miss”
What’s next for Gini Wijnaldum?
On being asked about his future he said, “I didn’t sign somewhere else. Everyone knows in football everything can happen. The situation right now is that on 1st July I am not a Liverpool player. We will see what I will do in the next couple of weeks. I will rest a little bit then go to the national team. I will have a look at my story and how everything went. The fans deserve to know the story behind it.”
Many reports suggest that Wijnaldum, currently just 30 years old and very much still a part of the engine room of a top team, could join Barcelona on a multi-year deal. With the club looking to restructure their team, Gini Wijnaldum in the heart of their midfield could be a great option for Barcelona. The club is also just added Aguero and are linked with Memphis Depay which could play an important role in Wijnaldum’s interest in joining Barca.
[Image Credit: Gini Wijnaldum]
Shashank Iyer