Georginio Wijnaldum: "Football is a huge part of our lives"

Georginio, you picked up an injury against Brest. Can you tell us what you felt at the time?

"I knew straight away that it was a fairly serious one. I tried to stay on the pitch, but I had to ask to be taken off before half time. I immediately went to the changing rooms with the physios, who tried to find out what the exact nature of the injury was; it was a sprained ankle. I'm doing better now thanks to the treatment, but the amount of healing time needed is different for each player. During the recovery process, I work very hard, even more so than I do normally."

You've already told us that you get more nervous watching your teammates play than you do when you're on the pitch. What are games like for you when you're injured?

"I don't get nervous on the pitch. For example, if I have to take a penalty in a shootout, I'm calm, but when I'm watching one of my teammates take one, I get stressed out. In the game against Manchester City, I was on the bench because I was injured, and I was super stressed out. When you're not on the pitch, you don't control anything."

You joined the club in the summer. Do you now feel fully integrated into the team?

"My integration went well. I was coming into a new club and a new league. I'm learning from my teammates and the coaching staff every day, and they've all helped me to fit in. We're getting to know each other a bit more every day. I'm also learning French, which is important for me in terms of fitting in."

You scored a brace away to Leipzig. How did you feel in the moment? 

"It was freeing. I thought to myself, 'Finally!'. When you join a new club, you want to score as soon as possible, but doing so in a Champions League game was incredible. I felt as though I wasn't offside, but you can't really know for sure when you're on the pitch. In that kind of moment, you're just hoping that they'll check it quickly so that you can celebrate. That brace was a relief for me!"

Is it still a pleasure to play in front of a full stadium, or is it something that you get used to?

"I love it! When I think back to the first-ever games that I played in, I was 16, and I'd been impatiently waiting for that moment to come. When it finally happened, I looked all around me and thought to myself, 'This is your moment.' I'd say that it's a blessing and an honour to play in front of a stadium that's full to bursting."

Has there ever been a time in your career where you've doubted yourself?

"A lot of people think that footballers are emotionless robots, but we have low moments, too. Football is a huge part of our lives. When things aren't going well in your career or when your club isn't doing well, it's just as difficult to handle as when things aren't going well in your private life. When things aren't going well for me, I focus on my work and tell myself that I need to work even more. I'd say that the toughest moment was when I was playing for PSV and was out for a long time with a back injury. For six or seven months, there would be good days, but then I'd relapse. I didn't know when I'd be able to play football again, but that also helped me toughen up and have a better mentality."

Is there a player who particularly inspired you during your childhood?

"I've really liked [Zinédine] Zidane ever since I was a kid but also [Clarence] Seedorf, who comes from Suriname, just like my family. When I was growing up, I was a big fan of Ronaldinho, who brought a lot of joy to football fans everywhere. Nowadays, I enjoy seeing Messi, Neymar Jr, Mbappé and actually the whole team play."