Cody Gakpo: ‘If I want to keep growing in football, I've got to keep my mind open'

Independent

3 days ago

It's 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's work that will result in a party that's 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. 'I'm expecting a lot,' he smiles. 'These will be memories for a lifetime.'
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.
At 26, Gakpo already has a clear sense of what he wants to achieve, and believes that his ambition shouldn't be confined to the pitch. As a player, he will tell you it's about maximising his chance so the world sits up and takes notice. 'It's to become the best version of myself,' he says. 'But I think at the end, as a person, that's the most important.' Is there a responsibility for players to make an impact in that way? 'With success, it's how can I make the right moves in my life to help other people,' Gakpo says. 'That's the biggest dream I have.'
We are several floors up overlooking London's 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.
The motivation for learning is easy for him to explain. Gakpo's 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.
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. 'She was a teacher,' Gakpo says. 'She 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.' 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. 'I don't know what she was doing there, but she was traveling the world,' Gakpo grins. 'So I'm very grateful she went on that trip.'
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. 'London is too busy for me,' he says, glancing down at the interruption.
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's biggest teams in December 2022, but he feels there are similarities between where he left and what he found. 'It's a very warm club with a family bond,' Gakpo says. 'I sensed that from the moment I arrived.' Liverpool is also where his one-year-son, Samuel, was born.
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. 'It'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.'
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 'I Belong to Jesus' printed across a white sleeveless tee. 'Everything we have, me and my family, is because of God,' he says. 'The way my path was created, I have to be grateful for that.'
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. 'He saw it,' Gakpo confirms. 'On 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.'
Another goal on Sunday would bring more cause for gratitude, and celebration alongside Liverpool's title party. Gakpo has scored in 10 consecutive starts at Anfield, becoming just the second player in the club's history to do so. He's in good company, too. 'Everybody knows Mo [Salah] has almost all the records,' Gakpo says. 'To share one with him is amazing.'
Salah's crosses and creativity from the right have led to many a goal for Gakpo on the left this season. He sees the Egyptian's evolution as an attacker as motivation to keep improving. 'I speak with Mo quite often, about football, about life,' Gakpo says. 'He 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.'
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. 'It's a pity because everyone knows his quality, he's a special player,' Gakpo says. 'At 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.'
Were the boos Alexander-Arnold received from some Liverpool fans when he came off the bench against Arsenal upsetting to hear? 'I think for everything he has done for the club, I think he deserves nothing but love,' Gakpo says. 'I 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.'
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.
'Your career is not as long as everybody thinks it is,' Gakpo says. 'Then you have a whole life in front of you.' 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.
'Obviously I have experiences in some things they don't have and they have experiences in life which I don't have,' Gakpo explains. 'I think that's also a big thing for me: you can exchange lessons, and you can grow.'