Georginio Wijnaldum

Football player infobox
playername= Georginio Wijnaldum


fullname = Georginio Wijnaldum
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1990|11|11
cityofbirth = Rotterdam
countryofbirth = Netherlands
height = height|meters=1.73
currentclub = Feyenoord
position = Midfielder
clubnumber = 25
youthyears = 1997-2004 2004-Dec 2006
youthclubs = Sparta Rotterdam
Feyenoord
years = 2007–
clubs = Feyenoord
caps(goals) = 16 (1)
nationalyears =
nationalteam = -
nationalcaps(goals) = 0- (-)
pcupdate = 7 June 2007
ntupdate = 7 June 2007

Georginio Wijnaldum (born November 11, 1990) is a professional Dutch footballer, who plays for Feyenoord where he has a contract until 2010. [ [http://www.feyenoord.nl/pages/newsdetail/S1/10010000030812-999-10010000000003.aspx Wijnaldum tekent nieuw contract] , feyenoord.nl]

Wijnaldum is one of the most promising talents to come out of the Feyenoord youth system in modern times. He made his debut in a Eredivisie game against FC Groningen on April 8, 2007. Despite Feyenoord losing 0-4 he played well, and he was crowned Feyenoord's man of the match in that game.

Georginio's meteoric rise to first-team football started in January 2007 when he was invited to a soccer camp with Feyenoord's first-team squad. The camp was held in Turkey and Feyenoord were participating in the Efes Pilsen Cup. Erwin Koeman, the former manager of Feyenoord, knew of Wijnaldum's talents and presumably acted to include him in the camp.

Wijnaldum played his first competitive match against FC Groningen because Royston Drenthe and Danny Buijs were suspended for the game and Sebastián Pardo, Theo Lucius and Nicky Hofs were injured. Georginio was 16 years and 148 days old when he made his debut, making him the youngest player ever for Feyenoord. [cite news|url=http://www.nos.nl/nosstudiosport/artikelen/2007/4/8/08041716wijnaldumjongstefeyenoorddebutant.html|title=Wijnaldum jongste Feyenoord-debutant|publisher=NOS|date=2007-04-08|accessdate=2008-10-05] After this game he stayed in the first-team squad for the rest of the season.In the 2007-08 season, Wijnaldum scored his first goal for Feyenoord on December 2, 2007, against Heracles Almelo in a 6-0 home win.He scored his first European goal for Feyenoord in a UEFA Cup match against Kalmar FF on September 2, 2008, which resulted in a 2-1 win, a result that would see Feyenoord move on to the group stage.

References