Gini Wijnaldum explains circumstances around Liverpool exit

Former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum has said there were times that he “didn’t feel love” from the club’s fans on social media.

Wijnaldum left the Reds upon the expiry of his contract at the end of June and signed for French giants Paris Saint-Germain.

He made close to 200 appearances in English football, with Newcastle and Liverpool.

The Dutchman initially joined the Magpies in 2015 from PSV Eindhoven for a fee of around £14.5 million, and scored four goals in one game against Norwich in a total haul of 11 strikes.

He moved to Liverpool in 2016 and was a regular fixture of the side for each of his five seasons at the club. He also helped them to win the Champions League, Premier League, Super Cup and Club World Cup.

In what turned out to be his final season, Wijnaldum featured in every Premier League game.

Following his departure, Wijnaldum has given an interview to The Sunday Times – and gave some detail into his last couple of seasons at the club.

He said: “Liverpool meant so much to me. There was some moments when I didn’t feel love and appreciated there.

“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.

“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.

“The fans in the stadium and the fans in social media were two different things. 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.”

Wijnaldum has yet to make an appearance for his new club in pre-season, having spent the summer on Euro 2020 duty with the Netherlands.

The French Ligue 1 season kicks off on August 6, with PSG in action away at Troyes a day later.

Featured Image Credit: Getty