The Liverpool ace is currently away from Anfield on international duty and captained his nation to a thumping win yesterday.
A number of fans have taken to Twitter to hail Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum for his display as Netherlands captain in yesterday’s 5-0 thumping of Estonia in Euro 2020 qualifying.
The Anfield ace scored a hat-trick for his nation – the first Oranje midfielder to do so for his nation since Johan Neeskens in 1972 – as they wrapped up their impressive qualification campaign in style.
Wijnaldum – captaining Netherlands in the absence of Liverpool teammate Virgil van Dijk – made a heartfelt statement against racism after opening the scoring on six minutes, heading over to the touchline along with Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong and placing his forearm next to that of his teammate.
The 29-year-old plays in a more advanced role for Netherlands than he does at Liverpool, with De Jong anchoring the midfield, and as such he has weighed in with plenty of goals for his nation, prompting some Reds fans to wonder whether Jurgen Klopp should consider pushing him further afield.
There was plenty of positive reaction to Wijnaldum’s display on social media from fans of club and country, with some comments below:
Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake and Myron Boadu also scored for the Netherlands, who had already qualified for the finals thanks to the point earned against Northern Ireland, but they did not top the group as Germany thumped Northern Ireland 6-1 in Frankfurt.
Up next for Liverpool is their Premier League trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
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