His £25million signing from Newcastle in 2016 was met with a little scepticism because of some inconsistent performances in a team that was relegated.
However, the 29-year-old has been pivotal to Liverpool’s recent success but without the plaudits and personal accolades others in the team have received.
Wijnaldum has been a key link between the imperious defence and much vaunted attacking three.
His role at Liverpool has been that of a provider more than a scorer himself, with 16 in 166 games, but can be relied upon to get important goals when the time calls.
He scored the second and third goals in their memorable Champions League semi-final comeback against Barcelona last season.