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Dutch legend Rafael van der Vaart has claimed that former Liverpool man Georginio Wijnaldum made a mistake by joining Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the summer.
Having won the Champions League and the Premier League under Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, Wijnaldum moved to Paris for free ahead of the 2021-22 campaign. As per Express, the Reds offered the Netherlands international a contract extension, but the midfielder turned them down.
At one point, he was heavily linked with a move to La Liga Barcelona. Ultimately, PSG swooped in and lapped up the free agent.
Unfortunately, Wijnaldum has had a hard time adjusting to life in the French capital. He made consecutive appearances for PSG in the opening stretch of the season but failed to impress his coach Mauricio Pochettino. As a result, he has slid down the pecking order, not making an appearance in important games anymore.
Speaking to TuttoMercatoWeb, Van der Vaart claimed that Wijnaldum was wrong to pick Paris, stating that he would now understand the importance of well-thought-out decisions. He said:
“Wijnaldum made a mistake in choosing PSG, while (Steven) Berghuis made an excellent choice, choosing to move from Feyenoord to Ajax. Now Gini will understand why making the right choice is so important.”
Since moving to France, the 31-year-old has made 31 appearances for the French giants, recording only three goals and three assists. Notably, the former Liverpool man was absent in Paris’ Champions League round-of-16 second-leg against Real Madrid. Pochettino’s men famously lost the tie 3-2 despite having a 0-2 lead at one point.
Leaving Liverpool for PSG could have been a masterstroke for Gini Wijnaldum
In the 2020-21 campaign, Wijnaldum made a whopping 51 appearances for Klopp’s side across all competitions, proving how important he was to them. Liverpool reportedly even wanted him to sign an extension, but the midfielder chose to run down his contract instead.
Yes, the midfielder has fallen flat on his face in Paris, which makes it easy to criticize his choice. However, we are not sure we can blame the Dutchman for seeking out a new challenge. Irrespective of whether it was due to monetary reasons or simply an ill-timed adventure, Wijnaldum was well within his rights to swap jerseys.
He could, however, have tried harder to produce respectable performances and win Pochettino’s confidence. That way, he would have had a chance to remain in the thick of things and get to play in the biggest matches. Had he been more committed in Paris, he probably would not have lost his no. 10 role in the Netherlands team to Ajax’s Steven Berghuis.
