an interesting interview with Winjnaldum in the Times!
When Georginio Wijnaldum bade an emotional farewell to Anfield in May, he walked through a 44-strong guard of honour comprising Liverpool players, Jürgen Klopp and staff. Xherdan Shaqiri was first to embrace the Dutchman, Klopp conducted the fans’ serenading of their beloved midfielder before he was presented with a commemorative plaque of the “Champions Wall” of club trophies. “I had to fight against my tears,” Wijnaldum recalls.
Liverpool loved him, he loved them and yet he was leaving. Speaking for the first time about the reasons behind his departure, Wijnaldum talks excitedly over Zoom from Parc des Princes about his new project at Paris Saint-Germain, and their “obsession” with the Champions League, but also with frustration of how his time at Liverpool ended as he “did not feel loved”. But by whom?
The players adored him, and posted heartfelt messages to their friend. Klopp admired Wijnaldum so much he gushed that “we have built this Liverpool on his legs, lungs, brain and his huge, beautiful heart”. Staff at Anfield, Melwood and Kirkby respected a friendly, ego-free professional. Fans revered him, appreciating his selfless work for the cause.
All remember fondly Wijnaldum’s 22 goals, 15 assists and 237 appearances over five seasons. They remember joyously when he struck twice on an unforgettable night against Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2019.
“Every day in training and in the game I gave everything,” Wijnaldum says. “Liverpool meant so much to me.” So why did he leave? “There was some moment when I didn’t feel love and appreciated there,” he reflects. “Not by my team-mates, not the people at Melwood. I know they all loved me and I loved them. It was not from that side, more from the other side.”
The other side? Did Liverpool’s board and the owners, Fenway Sport Group, push hard enough to keep a 30-year-old, offering a long enough contract? Did PSG, beating Barcelona to the free agent, simply make Wijnaldum a three-year offer that he could not refuse? Was it FSG or PSG, or were some of Liverpool’s legion of followers on social media the reason for Wijnaldum’s sorrowful departure?
“The fans in the stadium and the fans in social media were two different things,” he continues. “In the stadium, I can say nothing bad about them. They always supported me.
“On social media if we lost I was the one who got the blame — [claiming] that I wanted to leave. There was a moment when I was like, ‘Wow, if they only knew what I was doing to stay fit and play every game.’ You cannot complain because that is your job. But other players might have said, ‘I’m not fit.’ You get players in their last year who are like, ‘I’m not playing because it’s a risk.’ I did the opposite. I didn’t always play good but after the game I could look in the mirror and say, ‘I trained hard to get better.’
“There was a moment when I didn’t feel loved. In the last two seasons I had it a few times. The media didn’t help. There was a story like I didn’t accept the [Liverpool] offer because I wanted more money, and the fans made it like ‘OK, he didn’t get the offer so he doesn’t try his best to win games.’ Everything looked like it was against me. Some moments it was like, ‘Wow, me again?’
“My team-mates never had the feeling that I let them down or was taking the piss. For the manager, I was someone he was really sure he could trust. It also helped because I could play in different positions and do it well in different positions. I’d give everything.
“I got so much love not only from the fans but the manager and the players, the people who worked at the club. Players came to me saying, ‘This is your last training session, this is your last week at the club.’ It was really difficult and also emotional. A lot of time I had to fight against my tears. The love everyone showed [during and after that final game, against Crystal Palace] was beautiful.”
On June 7, before he captained Holland at the European Championship, Wijnaldum signed for PSG. “They showed me love and how much they wanted me to join this club,” he explains. “That’s the thing you want as a player. That’s really important and how much effort people put in first to sign you and help you settle in real quick.”
He smiles at the mention that PSG are “obsessed” with winning the Champions League. “Well, I have to say that I’m also obsessed to win the Champions League because I’ve seen how great it is and how beautiful, but now even more,” Wijnaldum replies.
“There is an obsession here to win all titles and be the best team in the world. I had the same at Liverpool. The Champions League, they wanted to win but the league was a must.”
He gives insight into his driven nature, relating his anger at starting on the bench against Barcelona. “When I came on [at half-time], [Klopp’s assistant] Pep Lijnders told me, ‘When we build up, you have to come as a back three.’ In my head, I was like, ‘No, no, no, I’m not going to do that. I just try to be up front, trying to score goals.’ I was so angry that I wanted to do my own thing and in the end it helped.”
In the final, Liverpool beat the Tottenham Hotspur of Mauricio Pochettino, now PSG head coach. “What makes him so good?” Wijnaldum considers. “The way he lets his team play at Tottenham and also here at PSG, with attacking football, he wants to press high. He wants to do all things that fans love to see. What impressed me the most about Pochettino is the way he works with players, the way he wants to improve the player. I’m really excited to work with him.”
here