The player left Liverpool in 2021, and has since then represented clubs in three different countries.
A former Liverpool star, who helped win the Champions League in 2019, could soon be on his way back to the Premier League – five years after leaving the Merseyside club.
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Seven years have passed since Liverpool’s sixth Champions League triumph. Most of the squad that beat Tottenham 2-0 in Madrid have now left the club. Mohamed Salah and Andrew Robertson’s summer departures have already been confirmed.
Goalkeeper Alisson, centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are now the only remaining Liverpool players who took part in that magical night in the Spanish capital.
If it hadn’t been for him – against Barcelona
The Reds might not have secured their sixth Champions League title without Georginio Wijnaldum. The Dutchman scored two goals in the historic 4-0 comeback against Barcelona in the semi-final second leg – one of the club’s biggest European nights.
Wijnaldum helped his team turn everything around and beat a Barcelona team that even had Lionel Messi on the pitch. Thus, he wrote himself into the club’s history books forever.
Two years later, Wijnaldum left Liverpool for Paris Saint-Germain. The transfer to the French big club did not go quite according to plan, and he was later loaned out to AS Roma for one season.
In 2023, the now 35-year-old player left for Saudi Arabia. He was reunited with former teammate Jordan Henderson and linked up with Steven Gerrard, who was then head coach of Al Ettifaq.
Since then, the former Newcastle player has delivered solidly in the SPL – 36 goals and 16 assists for Al Ettifaq speak for themselves.
The summer of 2026 will be the end in the Middle East
However, the 2025/26 season will be his last in the Middle East. On Saturday, the update came from Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
“Gini Wijnaldum is leaving Al Ettifaq as a free agent in the summer,” Romano wrote on social media.
“It’s over between the Dutch midfielder and the Saudi Arabian club. A financial decision on the part of the club – not a sporting one.”
According to Sky Sports, Wijnaldum is not considering quitting. Rob Dorsett reports the following:
“Georginio Wijnaldum, a former Liverpool and PSG midfielder, is highly motivated to make a comeback in the Premier League next season when his contract in the Saudi Pro League expires in the summer.
“The 35-year-old has no plans to hang up his boots. He still feels he has a lot to contribute – 14 goals and six assists for Al Ettifaq this season prove just that.
“As of today, his priority is to return to English football, although no final decision on his future has been made yet.”
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