It\u2019s a big week for Cody Gakpo and there is a lot on his mind. On Sunday, Liverpool will lift the Premier League title at Anfield, the culmination of a season\u2019s work that will result in a party that\u2019s been 35 years in the making. It will last all night long, into the next day when hundreds of thousands of supporters, from around the country and across the world, will congregate to light the city red and experience the title parade. Gakpo has seen the clips from 2019, when Liverpool won the Champions League. \u201cI\u2019m expecting a lot,\u201d he smiles. \u201cThese will be memories for a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gakpo has made his mark on a historic season, as Liverpool moved level with Manchester United by winning a record 20th league title. His biggest moment, at least in terms of wider significance, came on the day they were finally crowned champions, when the Dutch forward scored in the 5-1 win over Tottenham at Anfield. Spurs had not followed the script by taking the lead in front of the Kop; Gakpo helped Liverpool back on track by adding their third, as the tension eased away and the celebrations could begin. Gakpo knew what he wanted to do in that moment, too, as we will get onto.<\/p>\n
At 26, Gakpo already has a clear sense of what he wants to achieve, and believes that his ambition shouldn\u2019t be confined to the pitch. As a player, he will tell you it\u2019s about maximising his chance so the world sits up and takes notice. \u201cIt\u2019s to become the best version of myself,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I think at the end, as a person, that’s the most important.\u201d Is there a responsibility for players to make an impact in that way? \u201cWith success, it\u2019s how can I make the right moves in my life to help other people,\u201d Gakpo says. \u201cThat\u2019s the biggest dream I have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking ahead: Cody Gakpo wants to leave his mark after making history with Liverpool (Koby Abbott)We are several floors up overlooking London\u2019s Hyde Park, which appears from here to stretch into the distance like an ancient forest, sprawling untouched until reaching the city skyline. Gakpo was having a French lesson before he arrived. He says the lessons are going well, or ca va bien, with his Liverpool team-mate Ibrahima Konate helping with the occasional conversation at training.<\/p>\n
The motivation for learning is easy for him to explain. Gakpo\u2019s father is originally from Togo and he visits the country every summer, with his next trip planned after the end season. He still has aunties, uncles and cousins there, and is involved in delivering weekly food packages to communities in need. Learning the language is a way of deepening the connection to his father and his extended family, but he also wants to have authentic interactions with the people there when he visits, on his own, and without a translator alongside. <\/p>\n
Gakpo comes from a multicultural background. His mother is Dutch, and played rugby internationally for the Netherlands, although she never managed to convince any of her sons to take up the sport instead of football. \u201cShe was a teacher,\u201d Gakpo says. \u201cShe helped us a lot doing things for school, but also with the sports side, she was supporting us, coming to the games together with my father. Having a background in sports, she understood.\u201d His parents met when his mum was travelling through Togo with friends and stopped into a sports bar. His father was there too and it set Gakpo on his path. \u201cI don’t know what she was doing there, but she was traveling the world,\u201d Gakpo grins. \u201cSo I’m very grateful she went on that trip.\u201d<\/p>\n
An earlier downpour has cleansed the afternoon of its clammy, mid-May warmth and released a new freshness into the day. Down below, there is the noise of the street and the rumbling traffic, a reminder of the city. Even up high, a passing siren is piercing and Gakpo almost tuts. \u201cLondon is too busy for me,\u201d he says, glancing down at the interruption.<\/p>\n
Cody Gakpo is enjoying his football under Arne Slot (Koby Abbott)Liverpool, though, feels like home already. He knew he was taking a leap when he left his hometown club PSV Eindhoven to join one of the world\u2019s biggest teams in December 2022, but he feels there are similarities between where he left and what he found. \u201cIt’s a very warm club with a family bond,\u201d Gakpo says. \u201cI sensed that from the moment I arrived.\u201d Liverpool is also where his one-year-son, Samuel, was born.<\/p>\n
It helped, too, that Virgil van Dijk, the Netherlands captain, was there when Gakpo joined. Now, the Dutch influence runs through the Premier League champions, not just in Gakpo, Van Dijk and midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, but head coach Arne Slot and members of his coaching staff. \u201cIt’s a big honour for us that we as Dutch people can represent the club and achieve the title; but we want to achieve so much more and, and we leave our footprint as Dutch people.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Gakpo is open about the importance of his Christian faith and he believes it helps him daily and in almost every situation in his life. He believes, too, that it has led him to where he is today. So when Liverpool played at Anfield knowing they could win the Premier League title, Gakpo decided he wanted to show his gratitude. When he scored, he took off his shirt to reveal the message \u2018I Belong to Jesus\u2019 printed across a white sleeveless tee. \u201cEverything we have, me and my family, is because of God,\u201d he says. \u201cThe way my path was created, I have to be grateful for that.\u201d <\/p>\n
Cody Gakpo unveiled a \u2018I belong to Jesus\u2019 t-shirt at Anfield (Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Cody Gakpo celebrates winning the title with Virgil Van Dijk (PA Wire)After the Tottenham game, Gakpo received a warning from the Football Association, reminding him of the rules regarding the displaying of religious messages. He also received a message from former Brazil and AC Milan great Kaka, who unveiled the same slogan after the 2007 Champions League final. \u201cHe saw it,\u201d Gakpo confirms. \u201cOn a big occasion like that, the game we can become champion, I think it was a good platform to give thanks and to be grateful for what we have.\u201d <\/p>\n
Another goal on Sunday would bring more cause for gratitude, and celebration alongside Liverpool\u2019s title party. Gakpo has scored in 10 consecutive starts at Anfield, becoming just the second player in the club\u2019s history to do so. He\u2019s in good company, too. \u201cEverybody knows Mo [Salah] has almost all the records,\u201d Gakpo says. \u201cTo share one with him is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Salah\u2019s crosses and creativity from the right have led to many a goal for Gakpo on the left this season. He sees the Egyptian\u2019s evolution as an attacker as motivation to keep improving. \u201cI speak with Mo quite often, about football, about life,\u201d Gakpo says. \u201cHe also says the mental part of the player is the most important, and, if you want to keep growing in football, in life, you also have to keep the mind open for learning other things, and, I think it starts with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cody Gakpo has thrived under Arne Slot (Koby Abbott)With that in mind, there are mixed feelings about the departure of another reliable creator of Gakpo goals: Trent Alexander-Arnold. Like his Liverpool team-mates, Gakpo is sad to see the right-back leave but understands the decision to challenge himself elsewhere. \u201cIt\u2019s a pity because everyone knows his quality, he\u2019s a special player,\u201d Gakpo says. \u201cAt the same time, we only play football for 20 years, so you might want to do what feels good for you, to go and challenge yourself out of your comfort zone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Were the boos Alexander-Arnold received from some Liverpool fans when he came off the bench against Arsenal upsetting to hear? \u201cI think for everything he has done for the club, I think he deserves nothing but love,\u201d Gakpo says. \u201cI cannot say how people should react on the news they got but in my opinion he deserves nothing but love for what he did. He will be missed.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the corner of the room overlooking the city is a Ritter grand piano. Gakpo is drawn to it, tapping the first line of Fur Elise on the keys while leading over the open top to watch the strings play. His actual hidden talent, he then reveals, is sketching, taking out his phone to present delicately shaded drawings of a martini glass and wine bottle, an intricate activity that helps his mind to decompress. Other than football and family, he often thinks about his post-playing career, even at this early stage.<\/p>\n
Cody Gakpo has scored in 10 consecutive starts at Anfield for Liverpool (Koby Abbott)\u201cYour career is not as long as everybody thinks it is,\u201d Gakpo says. \u201cThen you have a whole life in front of you.\u201d Investing his time and resources, in new ideas and alongside talented people and helping them grow, is an idea that appeals, and Gakpo has already joined a sporting investment group that has the likes of England rugby captain Maro Itoje and McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris on board.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously I have experiences in some things they don’t have and they have experiences in life which I don’t have,\u201d Gakpo explains. \u201cI think that’s also a big thing for me: you can exchange lessons, and you can grow.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s a big week for Cody Gakpo and there is a lot on his mind. On Sunday, Liverpool will lift the Premier League title at Anfield, the culmination of a season\u2019s work that will result in a party that\u2019s been 35 years in the making. It will last all night long, into the next day […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n