Now at Al Ittihad, Wijnaldum returns to Al Ettifaq 'a legend forever'

When a player returns to face his former club, it’s typically laced with a special kind of emotion. 

That emotion is suredly more intense when it’s a former captain, leading scorer and club legend coming back, as is the case on Tuesday when Georginio Wijnaldum returns to Dammam to face Al Ettifaq.

Having made a surprise move on deadline day to join Al Ittihad, the meeting comes at a crucial juncture for both teams early in the 2026-27 Roshn Saudi League. 

Champions as recently as two seasons ago, Al Ittihad looking to stay in touch with the top three, while Al Ettifaq are intent on keeping on the coattails of the top five.

A win for either side would be crucial for their respective ambitions but, for Wijnaldum, this game will be about more than purely the three points.

Al Ettifaq are not simply a past employer for the Dutch international. It’s where he re-connected with football after an ill-fated move to Paris Saint-Germain that was blighted by injury, including a serious broken leg.

As Steven Gerrard, Wijnaldum’s initial coach at Al Ettifaq, explained, the former Liverpool midfielder’s move to the RSL wasn't just money-orientated.

“Gini recently hasn’t played as much football as he would have liked,” Gerrard said at the time. “He had an injury where he broke his leg, and his last couple of experiences haven’t brought him football happiness.

“So he was looking to play regular football; he wanted to smile again; he wanted to feel an important part of the team. We could give him that stage and that platform.”

After three years on the Kingdom’s east coast, Wijnaldum not only felt an important part of the team, but he was also the most crucial cog in it.

In his final two seasons at Al Ettifaq, deployed in a more advanced attacking position, Wijnaldum became one of the league’s most potent attacking weapons.

The numbers speak for themselves.

In 67 league games across the 2024-25 and 2025-26 campaigns, Wijnaldum scored 30 goals and contributed 10 assists. They are career-best numbers, achieved at what might be considered the tail-end of his playing days rather than the peak.

But that speaks to the space in which Wijnaldum found himself at Al Ettifaq.

The smile that he had wanted to rediscover had returned, and it was evident in how he played. There was a freedom in Wijnaldum’s movement that comes only from a player feeling content in that surrounds and happy within themselves.

He was captain of the club, but he wasn’t burdened by the responsibility. In fact, he relished it.

“I have a really good relationship with all of my teammates,” Wijnaldum said in a previous interview with the RSL. “What gives me the best feeling is when the local players have a situation and they come to me and talk about it. 

“The best thing for me is that my teammates respect me as a captain and accept me as a captain.”

Wijnaldum’s leadership was best encapsulated by Mohau Nkota shortly after the South African youngster arrived in Dammam last year.

Speaking to the SPL, Nkota said: “I didn’t know he was the captain until I asked, and he told me, ‘I’m the captain here, but don’t worry, be free. Don’t be scared to make mistakes. I’m here’. 

“’We are here to help you as our new teammate. We are here to help you impress and show us what you bring to the team.’”

For all Wijnaldum gave the club, and them him, the decision to part ways in May was not an easy one.

“I love this club and this city and this country and the people I work with,” Wijnaldum declared at the conclusion of last season.

Al Ettifaq, meanwhile, were also effusive in their tribute to a titan. 

“Thank you to the captain who made a difference and made his mark through his actions rather than his statistics,” read a statement.

Now, for the first time since their paths parted, Wijnaldum will be back in Dammam, in black and gold as Al Ittihad aim to halt a winless run of three matches in all competitions.

And Wijnaldum, who spoke so eloquently about the special bond between fans and players that comes from celebrating a goal, could now be scoring against those very supporters with whom he formed such a concrete connection.

Whatever happens, nothing will take away from the affinity between the two parties. As Al Ettifaq themselves said upon his departure: “The chapter closes, but the legend remains forever.”