A black Dutch football player held his arm against his white teammate's in a powerful response to racial abuse in his home country

Getty/Soccrates Images

Wijnaldum and De Jong made the gesture after the Liverpool star's first goal.

• Georginio Wijnaldum made a powerful anti-racism statement after scoring the first of his three goals for the Netherlands on Tuesday.
• The Liverpool FC midfielder ran to the touchline, held out his arm next to teammate Frenkie de Jong's, and pointed to the colors of their skin.
• The gesture was made in response to the reported racial abuse of Excelsior Rotterdam's Ahmad Mendes on Sunday, who said he was called a "negro and a cotton-picker" by Den Bosch fans, according to the BBC.
• "It really hit me on a personal level," Wijnaldum told the Liverpool Echo. "It's a problem in society."
• Ronald Koeman's side beat Estonia 5-0 on the night.
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Georginio Wijnaldum had an evening to remember for the Netherlands on Tuesday.

Not only did the Liverpool midfielder captain his country in the absence of Virgil Van Dijk, he also scored his first ever international hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Estonia. 

His biggest statement on the night, however, came in the sixth minute of the game, when he celebrated his first goal with a powerful anti-racism message.

The 29-year-old had just headed home from the edge of the six yard box when he ran to the cameras on the touchline, held out his arm next to that of his teammate, Frenkie de Jong, and pointed to the colors of their skin.

The message was in response to reported racial abuse of a black player in the Eredivisie at the weekend.

Ahmad Mendes, who plays for Excelsior Rotterdam, said he was called a "negro and a cotton-picker" by Den Bosch fans at the Van Donge & De Roo Stadion on Sunday, according to the BBC.

The game was stopped for 10 minutes, and the BBC reports that Dutch authorities are now investigating.

"It really hit me on a personal level," Wijnaldum told the Liverpool Echo in response to the incident.

"I never expected anything like this to happen in the Netherlands. I'm really shocked. It did happen, unfortunately, and the way people have talked about the incident really hurt me.

"It's a problem in society. As a player, you can't really change anything about it. But I still think that players should try and support each other. It's a problem in society and a problem that should be solved by our politicians."

Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman said Wijnaldum told him about the planned gesture prior to the game, adding that it was "nice to see," according to the BBC.

Wijnaldum's hat-trick saw him become the first midfielder to score a trio of goals for the Netherlands since Johan Neeskens in 1972.