Cody Gakpo
Gakpo with Netherlands U18 in 2017
Personal information
Full name Cody Mathès Gakpo
Date of birth (1999-05-07) 7 May 1999 (age 24)
Place of birth Eindhoven, Netherlands
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward, winger
Team information
Current team
 Liverpool
Number 18
Youth career
2007–2016 PSV
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2019 Jong PSV 26 (17)
2018–2023 PSV 106 (36)
2023– Liverpool 40 (10)
International career‡
2016–2017 Netherlands U18 3 (0)
2018 Netherlands U19 3 (0)
2018 Netherlands U20 5 (4)
2019–2021 Netherlands U21 13 (7)
2021– Netherlands 21 (9)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:55, 28 January 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15:50, 22 November 2023 (UTC)

Cody Mathès Gakpo (born 7 May 1999) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Premier League club Liverpool and the Netherlands national team.

A PSV academy graduate, Gakpo made his first-team debut in February 2018. In the 2021–22 season, he won the Dutch Footballer of the Year award after scoring 21 goals in 47 games in all competitions. He signed for Liverpool in January 2023.

Gakpo played youth international football for the Netherlands from under-18 to under-21 level. He made his senior international debut in June 2021 at UEFA Euro 2020.

Early life

Cody Mathès Gakpo[2] was born on 7 May 1999[3] in Eindhoven and raised in the district of Stratum.[4] His father was born in Togo and has Ghanaian ancestry, while his mother is Dutch.[5][6][7] In 2007, he moved to the youth academy of PSV, where he then progressed through all of the youth teams.[5]

Club career

PSV

For the 2016–17 season, Gakpo was part of the reserve team Jong PSV for the first time but mainly featured in the under-19 team. Gakpo made his professional debut in the Eerste Divisie for Jong PSV on 4 November 2016, in a game against Helmond Sport.[8] For the rest of the season, he only made one more appearance for Jong PSV. After his production increased in the following season's U19 Eredivisie with seven goals and five assists in 13 league games, he was finally promoted to the reserves at the turn of the year. In his second appearance in the second-tier Eerste Divisie, on 19 January 2017, in a 3–2 away win against De Graafschap, he scored a brace and made the assist for the third goal of his team.[9] For Jong PSV, he managed to score seven goals in the 2017–18 season, which he achieved in 12 league games.[10]

First team

Gakpo made his first team debut for PSV as an injury-time substitute in a 3–1 victory over Feyenoord on 25 February 2018.[11] In the 2018–19 season, Gakpo was able to further improve his performances. This was also noticed by first team coach, Mark van Bommel. He was selected several times for the matchday squad of the first team in the first half of the season. He would initially, however, remain an unused substitute.[10] In the 5–1 home win against the Go Ahead Eagles on 3 December 2018, he scored the first hat-trick of his professional career.[12] After he scored a goal and got an assist in the 5–2 home win against Almere City on 21 December,[13] he made his debut in the Eredivisie just one day later. In the 3–1 home win against AZ, he was substituted on for Steven Bergwijn in the closing stages.[14] He scored nine goals in ten league games for Jong PSV by the end of the year and was subsequently promoted to become a regular member of the first team.[10] On 3 February 2019, he scored his first league goal in his second appearance in a 5–0 home win over Fortuna Sittard and also assisted another goal.[15] By the end of the season he made 14 league appearances, but without being able to record another goal.[10]

In the 2019–20 season, he made his breakthrough in the Eredivisie and recorded seven goals and as many assists in 25 league games.[10]

On 13 September 2020, the first matchday of the 2020–21 Eredivisie season, Gakpo scored his first brace for PSV, contributing to a 3–1 win over Groningen.[16] He scored another brace on 24 September in the 5–1 victory in the UEFA Europa League qualifier against NŠ Mura, allowing PSV to qualify for the play-off round.[17] He was again decisive there, on scoring PSV's second goal in a 2–0 win over Rosenborg on 1 October.[18] He finished the season with 29 appearances, in which he scored 11 goals.[10]

Gakpo scored the winning goal for PSV in a 2–1 win over Ajax in the 2022 KNVB Cup final.[19] On 31 August 2022, he scored his first hat-trick in a 7–1 win over Volendam.[20]

Liverpool

On 28 December 2022, Gakpo agreed to sign for Premier League club Liverpool once the transfer window opened on 1 January 2023.[21] He was reported by BBC Sport to have agreed a five-and-a-half-year contract, for a transfer fee of between £35.4 to £44.3 million (€40 to €50 million), which would be a record fee received by PSV.[22] He made his debut on 7 January as a starter in a 2–2 home draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup third round.[23] Gakpo scored his first goal for Liverpool in a 2–0 Merseyside derby league victory over Everton on 13 February.[24]

International career

Gakpo playing for the Netherlands national under-18 team in 2017

Gakpo was eligible to play for the Netherlands, Ghana or Togo at international level.[25][26] He played youth international football for the Netherlands at under-18,[27] under-19,[28] under-20[29] and under-21 levels.[30]

Gakpo was called up to the senior Netherlands squad for UEFA Euro 2020 and made his debut in the third match of the group stage against North Macedonia as a substitute in the 79th minute for Frenkie de Jong.[31] Thereby, he became the first Netherlands player to make his international debut at a European Championship since Martien Vreijsen in 1980.[32]

On 1 September 2021, Gakpo made his first start for the Netherlands in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Norway,[33] and scored his first senior international goal three days later in a 4–0 win over Montenegro.[34]

Gakpo was named in the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and had an immediate impact, scoring in three consecutive group matches against Senegal,[35] Ecuador,[36] and Qatar.[37]

Style of play

Usually deployed as a left winger, he is also capable of playing a more central attacking role as a centre-forward. Gakpo often cuts inside on his right foot to move to a more central attacking position, and uses his speed and dribbling skills to take on defenders until he finds the space to make an attempt on goal.[4]

Personal life

Gakpo is a Christian.[38] He has said, "I try to read the Bible every day, I pray every day, I like to go to church, and I read many books about the faith".[39] During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, along with Memphis Depay, he led a Bible study for fifteen other Dutch teammates.[40]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 28 January 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Jong PSV 2016–17[3] Eerste Divisie 2 0 — — — — 2 0
2017–18[3] Eerste Divisie 13 7 — — — — 13 7
2018–19[3] Eerste Divisie 11 10 — — — — 11 10
Total 26 17 — — — — 26 17
PSV 2017–18[3] Eredivisie 1 0 0 0 — 0 0 — 1 0
2018–19[3] Eredivisie 16 1 2 1 — 1[c] 0 0 0 19 2
2019–20[3] Eredivisie 25 7 2 0 — 11[d] 1 1[e] 0 39 8
2020–21[3] Eredivisie 23 7 1 0 — 5[f] 4 — 29 11
2021–22[3] Eredivisie 27 12 4 2 — 15[g] 7 1[e] 0 47 21
2022–23[3] Eredivisie 14 9 0 0 — 9[h] 3 1[e] 1 24 13
Total 106 36 9 3 — 41 15 3 1 159 55
Liverpool 2022–23[41] Premier League 21 7 3 0 — 2[c] 0 — 26 7
2023–24[42] Premier League 19 3 2 0 5 4 4[f] 2 — 30 9
Total 40 10 5 0 5 4 6 2 — 56 16
Career total 172 63 14 3 5 4 47 17 3 1 241 88
  1. ^ Includes KNVB Cup, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, nine appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ a b c Appearance in Johan Cruyff Shield
  6. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  7. ^ Six appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League, four appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League, five appearances and three goals in UEFA Europa Conference League
  8. ^ Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, five appearances and three goals in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 21 November 2023[43]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Netherlands 2021 4 1
2022 10 5
2023 7 3
Total 21 9
As of match played 21 November 2023
Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gakpo goal[43]
List of international goals scored by Cody Gakpo
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 4 September 2021 Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands 3  Montenegro 4–0 4–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification [44]
2 14 June 2022 De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands 7  Wales 2–0 3–2 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A [45]
3 22 September 2022 Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland 8  Poland 1–0 2–0 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A [46]
4 21 November 2022 Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar 10  Senegal 1–0 2–0 2022 FIFA World Cup [47]
5 25 November 2022 Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar 11  Ecuador 1–0 1–1 2022 FIFA World Cup [48]
6 29 November 2022 Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar 12  Qatar 1–0 2–0 2022 FIFA World Cup [49]
7 7 September 2023 Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands 18  Greece 2–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying [50]
8 10 September 2023 Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland 19  Republic of Ireland 1–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying [51]
9 21 November 2023 Estádio Algarve, Almancil, Portugal 21  Gibraltar 6–0 6–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying [52]

Honours

PSV

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Cody Gakpo: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Squad List: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Netherlands (NED)" (PDF). FIFA. 18 December 2022. p. 20. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "C. Gakpo: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b Boeringa, Reon (9 October 2019). "Cody Gakpo: van Stratum naar de spotlights". Voetbal International (in Dutch).
  5. ^ a b Elfrink, Rik (1 June 2019). "Cody Gakpo leeft de droom van bijna elke Eindhovense jongen". Eindhovens Dagblad (in Dutch).
  6. ^ "Ghana coach reveals talks with Dutch players". Football Oranje. 17 October 2019.
  7. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Ghanaian sensation Cody Gakpo extends contract with Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven". Kickgh.com. 12 September 2019.
  8. ^ "Game Report". worldfootball.net. 4 November 2016.
  9. ^ "Gakpo bezorgt Jong PSV driepunter" (in Dutch). PSV. 19 January 2018.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Cody Gakpo » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
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  12. ^ Elfrink, Rik (3 December 2018). "Jong PSV maakt met grootse Gakpo schroot van de aspiraties van Go Ahead Eagles". Eindhovens Dagblad (in Dutch).
  13. ^ Velthoven, Florian van (21 December 2018). "Gakpo en Piroe zijn nieuwe groeibriljantjes van PSV: 'Hoofdmacht halen is realistischer geworden'" (in Dutch). Omroep Brabant.
  14. ^ "Dutch Eredivisie". Sky Sports. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  15. ^ Beek, Yvonne van (3 February 2019). "Aanvoerder De Jong trots op honderdste doelpunt: 'Fantastisch in vijf seizoenen PSV'". Eindhovens Dagblad (in Dutch).
  16. ^ Elfrink, Rik (13 September 2020). "PSV pakt belangrijke uitzege in Groningen, met dank aan Cody Gakpo". Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch).
  17. ^ "PSV cruise to a 5–1 win over NS Mura". PSV. 24 September 2020.
  18. ^ "Rosenborg BK – PSV" (in Dutch). PSV. 26 August 2014.
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  36. ^ "Valencia scores as Ecuador draw with Netherlands". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  37. ^ "Gakpo nets again as Dutch beat Qatar to top group". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
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  39. ^ Wise, Talia (9 December 2022). "Dutch Stars Depay, Gakpo Stand for Christ During FIFA World Cup: 'We Are Thankful to God'". Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  40. ^ "Dutch Stars Depay, Gakpo Stand for Christ During FIFA World Cup: 'We Are Thankful to God'". CBN News. 9 December 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
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  42. ^ "Games played by Cody Gakpo in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
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  59. ^ "Cody Gakpo is the Eredivisie Player of the Month for the second month running". Eredivisie. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  60. ^ "Xavi Simons named as Eredivisie Player of the Month August". Eredivisie. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  61. ^ "Cody Gakpo named as Eredivisie Player Of The Month for September". Eredivisie. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  62. ^ "Cody Gakpo is the Eredivisie Player of the Month for the second month running". Eredivisie. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.

External links

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