Cody Mathès Gakpo is a Dutch professional footballer born on 7 May 1999 in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
He primarily plays as a left winger or centre-forward for Premier League club Liverpool and the Netherlands national team.
Raised in the Stratum district of Eindhoven, he is the son of Johnny Gakpo, who was born in Togo and has Ghanaian ancestry and previously played football, and Ank Gakpo, a Dutch former rugby player who later worked as a teacher.
Gakpo is a practising Pentecostal Christian and has spoken about the role of his faith in his life.
Siblings
Cody’s older brother is Sidney Gakpo, born on 24 July 1993, making him about six years Cody’s senior.
Sidney also played football at amateur and lower levels, including with clubs linked to the Eindhoven area such as RPC, and has been involved in supporting Cody’s career, at times acting in an advisory or agent-related capacity.
The younger brother is Ducferre Gakpo. He has played in local youth setups, including around FC Eindhoven.
Career
Gakpo began playing organised football at a young age with local side Eindhoven (EVV) before joining the PSV Eindhoven youth academy in 2007 at around age six or seven.
He progressed through the ranks and made his professional debut for Jong PSV in the Eerste Divisie in November 2016.
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He scored regularly for the reserves and earned a first-team debut for PSV as a late substitute in a 3-1 win over Feyenoord on 25 February 2018.
Over the following seasons he established himself as a key attacker, contributing goals and assists in the Eredivisie and European competitions.
In the 2021-22 campaign he was particularly productive, helping PSV win domestic silverware and earning recognition as one of the league’s standout players.
In January 2023 he transferred to Liverpool for a fee reported in the region of £35-44 million.
He scored his first goal for the club in a Merseyside derby victory over Everton and has since featured regularly as a versatile forward, contributing in the Premier League, domestic cups and European matches.
Internationally, he represented the Netherlands at various youth levels before making his senior debut at UEFA Euro 2020.
He scored three goals at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, added further contributions at Euro 2024, and featured at the 2026 World Cup.
Accolades
With PSV, Gakpo was part of the side that won the Eredivisie in 2017-18 (though his first-team involvement that season was limited), the KNVB Cup in 2021-22, and the Johan Cruyff Shield in 2021 and 2022.
At Liverpool he collected the EFL Cup (Carabao Cup) in 2023-24 and the Premier League title in 2024-25.
Individually, he was named Dutch Footballer of the Year for the 2021-22 season after a strong campaign with 21 goals in 47 appearances across competitions.
He also earned Eredivisie Player of the Month awards and shared the Golden Boot at UEFA Euro 2024 with three goals.
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