Georginio Wijnaldum has opened up about the reasons for his departure from Liverpool this summer and said he didn’t “feel loved and appreciated” by some at the club.
Wijnaldum, 30, joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer after his contract at Anfield expired following five years with the Premier League club.
The midfielder played a key role in helping Liverpool win the 2019 Champions League as well as the club’s first ever Premier League title the following year but said he didn’t feel valued by some members.
“There was a moment when I didn’t feel loved and appreciated,” he told reporters. “Not my teammates, not the people at Melwood [training ground].
“From them I know, I can say they all love me and I love them. It was not from that side. More the other side.”
Wijnaldum was given a guard of honour in his final game at Liverpool after they claimed a 2-0 victory against Crystal Palace to secure a top four finish last season.
He was applauded by the playing and coaching staff and received a huge ovation from the Liverpool supporters but said he didn’t feel appreciated by some fans online.
“I have to say also there was social media,” he added. “When it went bad, I was the player who they blamed — that I wanted to leave. Every day in training and in the games, I gave everything I had to bring it to a good end because, during the years, Liverpool meant so much to me and because of the way the fans in the stadium were treating me.
“My feeling was that the fans in the stadium and the fans on social media were two different kinds. The fans in the stadium always supported me. Even when they came back [after the COVID-19 break], already knowing that I was going to leave, they still supported me and, in the end, they gave me a great farewell.
“On social media, if we lost, I was the one who got the blame. There was a moment when I was like: ‘Wow. If they only knew what I was doing to stay fit and play every game.’
“Other players might have said: ‘OK, I am not fit.’ You get players in their last year who are like: ‘I’m not playing because it is a risk.’ I did the opposite.”