Cody Gakpo's journey: from Stratum to PSG
Cody Gakpo, PSV's talented young player, has made significant strides in his football career. From his early days at Stratum to becoming one of PSV's shining stars, Gakpo shared his journey, development and future goals.
In the VI Tijdmachine column we often bring new stories from the past, and every weekend we repost articles from our rich archive. This time, we will go back to 2019, when Cody Gakpo, then 20 years old, started to get more playing opportunities at PSV and was interviewed in detail for the first time by VI.
Gakpo shared: ‘I am happy to continue at PSV.’ When he just extended his contract until mid-2023, PSV's media team recalled a happy moment from Gakpo's childhood. On May 2, 2011, the player posted a tweet expressing his excitement at continuing to stay at his dream club's academy. Since he was 6 years old, Gakpo's life has been linked to his dream of playing for PSV.
Before making his debut for the first team, Gakpo appeared in a music video by rapper Dio, which depicted the arduous journey on the road to success. In the video, Gakpo shows his efforts in the gym, on the practice field and even on a small soccer field in the rain. In one of the final scenes, he stands in the afternoon light, looking up at Philips Field, where he has spent his entire life.
When Gakpo has a chance, he always takes advantage of it to score. ‘If I see space, I will try to finish. If I do it correctly, I know that if the goalkeeper doesn't have a good day, the ball will go in.'
Two years after appearing in the video, Gakpo received an award for 12 years of dedication at the PSV training facility. On 25 February 2018, he made his debut for the first team under the guidance of Phillip Cocu. The following season, under the guidance of Mark van Bommel, Gakpo had 16 matches in the domestic league, most of them coming from the bench. He also had the opportunity to play in the Champions League against Tottenham Hotspur.
This season, Gakpo has had more minutes of play than in the whole of last season. PSV gave him a second contract for one year.
Gakpo had a typical playing style, which was to pull in from the left wing and finish with his right foot. His number 46 boots guarantee great power and feel on the ball. Earlier this year, he scored his first goal for PSV at home against Fortuna Sittard. The goal on 11 August against ADO Den Haag was achieved in the same way.
'It's a move that I practice often,' Gakpo shares. ‘Steven Bergwijn and Mo Ihattaren regularly train with me. When the ball goes into the net during a match, it is the result of practice.'
With the presence of Bergwijn and Gastón Pereiro, along with the impressive form of Ihattaren and Donyell Malen, Van Bommel has many options in attack. However, Gakpo remains one of the PSV players to play in all matches this season, showing his development and growing status at Eindhoven.
'The season started very well for me. I have started many times and scored goals and assisted, which makes me very optimistic,' Gakpo said. ‘When I have the opportunity, I try to repay the coach's trust. However, the positions in attack are very crowded, and I need to be patient while trying to establish myself in the squad. Looking at the number of minutes I have played, I feel I have made significant progress.'
Gakpo has been a PSV player for more than two-thirds of his life, starting when he was 6 years old and now he has become one of the stars of the first team. Gakpo is truly a typical representative of PSV, not a player from elsewhere but a talent nurtured right in Eindhoven.
'This is my 14th season at the club,' Gakpo calculated. ‘I have worked more than half my life to get where I am now. It was a dream come true, but besides that, I still hadn't achieved everything I wanted. I am not an official player yet, a name that is always present in the squad. That's my next goal.'
Gakpo also shared about his past, posters of players like Arouna Koné, Jefferson Farfán and Ibrahim Afellay used to hang on the wall of his room. 'I grew up in Stratum,' says Gakpo, 'I'm a real boy of this city, always a fan of PSV. I'm very happy to now be teammates with the players I idolized.'
Gakpo is not only a football talent but also an intellectual. He had just graduated from high school and could have attended grade school, but chose football. Gakpo also participates in PSV board meetings, showing his interest in the future.
Gakpo has never set foot in Togo, his father's homeland. 'Every time my father has a vacation, I go into the off-season,' he said. However, the family is very proud of what Gakpo has achieved. 'We live in this city and see Cody grow every day,' said brother Sidney. 'More and more people recognize Cody, and I feel very proud to be the brother of such a successful player.'
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