PSG announced Georginio Wijnaldum’s signing more than a month ago but now the French club has revealed the squad number. The Dutchman will wear the club’s number 18 during his official debut. After refusing to elongate his contract at Liverpool, Wijnaldum signed a contract at Paris Saint-Germain long ago but he has had to wait until now to be unveiled due to international obligations.
On the official website, Les Parisiens have confirmed Wijnaldum will wear the number 18 from the start of the 2021/22 season after signing a three-year contract, which will run until 2024. While it may appear to be a relatively obscure number, some iconic players have worn PSG’s number 18 shirt in recent years, including Gianluigi Buffon and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Dutchman will join Parisians’ new football transfers – Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Achraf Hakimi.
On signing the new contract Wijnaldum told PSG TV, “I was at the end of my contract and various clubs got in contact with me. When PSG came calling, everything went well and I quickly signed. Mauricio Pochettino had already tried to sign me for Tottenham, so I’d already had conversations with him. The whole club made me feel like they really wanted me, and this also really affected my decision.”
The Netherlands international also explained how PSG’s style of play suits him well. “At Liverpool we played really offensive football. Playing attacking football is a philosophy that suits me, and PSG are a team who plays this kind of football,” Wijnaldum said.
Finally, Wijnaldum spoke of his desire to win silverware at his new club. “PSG wants to win and they’re a club who have progressed a lot in recent years, that has played in a Champions League final and also got to the semi-final last season. I think it’s a great project and we’re building a team that can achieve these goals.”
Wijnaldum replaces former PSG loanee Moise Kean, with the French club unable to reach an agreement with Everton on a permanent transfer for the Italy international. He arrived at Liverpool from Newcastle United in 2016 and has since featured in 179 games for the Premier League club scoring 16 goals in all competitions.
