Background Information
Dutch professional football player Cody Gakpo was born on May 7, 1999. He plays forward or left flank for Liverpool in the Premier League and the Netherlands national team.
Gakpo, a graduate of the PSV academy, debuted for the first squad in February 2018. He scored 21 goals in 47 games across all competitions in the 2021–22 season, earning him the title of Dutch Footballer of the Year. In January 2023 he signed a contract with Liverpool.
From the under-18 to the under-21 levels, Cody Gakpo represented the Netherlands in youth international football. In June 2021, he made his senior international debut at UEFA Euro 2020.
Early Life
Cody Gakpo grew up in the Stratum neighborhood after being born in Eindhoven. His mother is Dutch, and his father is Ghanaian and was born in Togo. He transferred to PSV’s development program in 2007 and advanced through all of the youth teams there.
Club Career
PSV
He made his debut with the reserve team Jong PSV during the 2016–17 season, however he mostly played for the under-19 squad. In a match against Helmond Sport on November 4, 2016, Gakpo made his professional debut for Jong PSV in the Eerste Divisie. He only made one more appearance for Jong PSV during the remainder of the season. He was eventually promoted to the reserves at the beginning of the year after he improved his output in the U19 Eredivisie the following season, scoring seven goals and dishing out five assists in 13 league games.
He scored a brace and assisted on the team’s third goal in a 3–2 away victory over De Graafschap on January 19, 2017, his second outing in the second-tier Eerste Divisie. He was able to score seven goals for Jong PSV in 12 league games during the 2017–18 season.
First Team Appearance
On February 25, 2018, Cody Gakpo made his PSV debut as an injury-time substitute in a 3-1 victory over Feyenoord. Gakpo was able to further enhance his performances in the 2018–19 campaign. Mark van Bommel, the coach of the first squad, also saw this. During the first half of the season, he was chosen multiple times for the first team’s matchday squad. But at first he would remain an unutilized replacement. He scored his first professional hat trick in the 5-1 victory over the Go Ahead Eagles at home on December 3, 2018.
He made his Eredivisie debut just one day after scoring a goal and providing an assist in the 5–2 victory over Almere City at home on December 21. He replaced Steven Bergwijn in the waning minutes of the 3-1 victory over Arizona at home. At the end of the season, he had scored nine goals in ten league games for Jong PSV, which led to his promotion to the first squad. In a 5-0 victory over Fortuna Sittard at home on February 3, 2019, he assisted on another goal and scored his first league goal in his second outing. He made 14 league appearances by the conclusion of the season, but he was unable to score any more goals.
He made his Eredivisie debut in the 2019–20 season, recording seven goals and an equal number of assists in 25 league games.
Gakpo scored his first brace for PSV on September 13, 2020, the first day of the 2020–21 Eredivisie season, helping the team defeat Groningen 3–1. On September 24, he scored two more goals as PSV defeated NŠ Mura 5-1 in the UEFA Europa League qualifier, securing their spot in the playoffs. On October 1, he scored PSV’s second goal in a 2-0 victory over Rosenborg, demonstrating his decisiveness once more. He made 29 appearances before the end of the season, scoring 11 goals.
In the 2022 KNVB Cup final, PSV defeated Ajax 2-1, with Gakpo scoring the game-winning goal. He got his maiden hat trick in a 7-1 victory over Volendam on August 31, 2022.
Liverpool
Gakpo agreed on December 28, 2022, to join Liverpool, a Premier League team, when the transfer market opened on January 1, 2023. He reportedly agreed to a five-and-a-half-year contract with PSV for a record transfer fee of between £35.4 and £44.3 million (€40 and €50 million), according to BBC Sport. On January 7, he made his FA Cup third-round debut as a starter in a 2-2 home draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers. On February 13, 2023, Cody Gakpo scored his first goal for Liverpool in a 2-0 Merseyside derby league victory over Everton.
In the 2023–24 season, Gakpo earned his first trophy with Liverpool when he was credited with crucial goals that helped the team win the EFL Cup for the tenth time and finished as the second-highest goal scorer in the competition.
On January 5, 2025, Gakpo equalized in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United. Gakpo was instrumental in their Premier League title-winning campaign in 2024–2025. The league title was won in his debut season under new manager Arne Slot, a fellow countryman, as he scored Liverpool’s third goal in a 5-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
International Career
Youth
Gakpo was qualified to play internationally for Ghana, Togo, or the Netherlands. He represented the Netherlands in youth international football at the under-18, under-19, under-20, and under-21 levels.
Senior
Cody Gakpo made his debut in the third group stage encounter against North Macedonia, replacing Frenkie de Jong in the 79th minute after being called up to the senior Netherlands squad for UEFA Euro 2020. He thus became the first player from the Netherlands to play for his country at a European Championship since Martien Vreijsen in 1980.
On September 1, 2021, Gakpo made his debut for the Netherlands in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Norway. Three days later, in a 4-0 victory against Montenegro, he scored his first goal as a senior international.
Gakpo made a quick impression after being called up to play for the Netherlands in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, scoring goals in three straight group stage games against Ecuador, Senegal, and Qatar.
The Netherlands’ squad for UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany included Gakpo. After scoring his nation’s first goal of the tournament in their opening 2-1 victory over Poland, he was awarded player of the match. After scoring the first goal and dishing out an assist in their 3-0 victory over Romania in their round of 16 match, he was once again awarded the honor. Gakpo won the Golden Boot in a six-way tie with three goals during the tournament.
Faith
His religion is Pentecostalism. Cody Gakpo stated, “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.” He and Memphis Depay led a Bible study for fifteen other Dutch players during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
When Cody Gakpo’s team won the Premier League championship, he showed off a shirt that said, “I belong to Jesus.” This serves as a reminder that we should share our religion regardless of the platform or expense.
Honours
PSV
- Eredivisie: 2017–18
- KNVB Cup: 2021–22
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2021, 2022
Liverpool
- Premier League: 2024–25
- EFL Cup: 2023–24; runner-up: 2024–25
Individual
- Dutch Footballer of the Year: 2021–22
- Eredivisie Player of the Month: September 2022, October 2022
- BBC Goal of the Month: January 2025
- UEFA European Football Championship Top Goalscorer: 2024 (shared)
