Georginio Wijnaldum will replace to his teammate at Liverpool Virgil van Dijk as captain of the selection of the Netherlands. This was announced by Frank de Boer, coach of the ‘oranje’ team, who this Wednesday faces Spain in a friendly match.
Van Dijk suffered a serious injury knee ligaments after receiving a hard tackle from Jordan Pickford in the derby against Everton in Premier last month (which finished 2-2). Undergoing surgery, the Liverpool defender will probably miss the remainder of the season, so De Boer has been forced to decide that there will be a new captain for the time being.
Van Dijk could not have given the 'oranje' bracelet to anyone more suitable for him than to his friend and teammate at Liverpool Wijnaldum, with whom he is living the great stage of success of the 'red' team under the orders of Jürgen Klopp, with the conquest of the Champions League and the Premier among other titles.
The 29-year-old midfielder has made 67 appearances for the Netherlands team so far, with 18 goals scored. Wijnaldum made his debut for the Dutch national team in September 2011, in a match against San Marino.
Wijnaldum was part of the ‘oranje’ that finished third in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and second in the 2018-19 Nations League. The new captain of the Netherlands team scored the second goal in the match against third and fourth place against Brazil in 2014, which the Dutch won 3-0.