The Netherlands being elite at producing footballing talent is something that I don’t think very many people would disagree with. It’s something I don’t think anyone would disagree with. Anyone sane, at least. And when it comes to young players like Matthijss De Ligt, Frenkie De Jong, Jurrien Timber, Tyrell Malacia and more, this is something that doesn’t look to be changing.
However this video won’t be taking a look at any of the above. This video will be taking a look at a young man who has been hyped for months and months before the World Cup was even a passing thought in the majority of fans. 9 goals and 12 assists in the Eredivisie in 14 games this season so far is absolutely nothing to play around with.
A man who grabbed major headlines right from the jump in the 2022 World Cup with a goal in each match of the 2022 group stages.
Cody Gakpo.
I think we gotta talk about this guy.
His come up, his breakthrough, his skillset and his potential future. I think this this is a name that we will be hearing a lot of for quite some time.
With that being said; how good is Cody Gakpo?
Forever Eindhoven
Born in 1999 in Eindhoven to a very active family, Cody Gakpo’s life was pretty much setup for a life in sports from the very beginning. His father, a Togolese born man of Ghanaian lineage, was once a football player himself. And his mother, a woman of Dutch origins was once an international Rudgy player with the Dutch national team.
And then we have his brothers, who play football themselves. But I think it’s safe to assume that the footballing gem of the family is the title character in this video.
So, I guess one of the first take aways we can gather from this guy is that he was never lacking in terms of an environment that respected, promoted and appreciated his future occupation.
Conveniently, the City Gakpo was born in has somewhat of a strong footballing reputation, as I’m sure some of you may be aware of. And the crown jewel amongst those is none other than PSV Eindhoven. European Cup winners, serial Eredivisie winners and also the only team Cody Gakpo has ever known.
It all started in 2005, at the age of 6. Our guy started training with PSV’s academy and got straight to work at showing that he belonged. Initially an agile, swift player. However, a rapid growth spurt forced him to switch up along the way.
The result was a 6ft2, strong, direct, wide attacker. As is typically the case when it comes to young, talented attackers, the stories of this guy’s scoring record frequently going into double figures in the early days are aplenty.
“As we say in Holland, he could always find the shortest way to goal. As a defender, you’d be concerned about playing him because in an instant he changes the game.”
The words of Twan Scheepers, current Utrecht assistant manager and former PSV youth coach.
He was just levels above the rest seemingly from the very beginning.
So, if I were to tell you that he was never satisfied with his performances and was always trying to improve, I doubt many of you would be surprised.
The guy’s always wanted to, and believed he should, be the man. As is evident from his feature in Dutch rapper Dio’s 2016 track- De Man. The song essentially tells the tale that success is a long, hard road and that the hard work never stops.
I don’t understand all that much of what’s being said in the song. But- it slaps. You know what else slaps? The sponsor of this video
Big Break
Anyway, through going from strength to strength, it was only a matter of time before everybody began to take notice. We’ll get into the specifics of his skillset in a bit, but let’s first take a look at what’s led him to the current day.
He made his debut for PSV’s first team in early 2018, but it was only later, in the 19/20 season, where he truly broke through. 7 goals and 7 assists in 25 matches for the then 20-year-old in the Eredivisie. The guys was going places.
This form continued over to the next season where he put up even more numbers and then made his debut for the Dutch national team in the Euros of all places.
His 21/22 season of the Eredivisie was spectacular. PSV came agonisingly close to upsetting Ajax and reclaiming the Domestic league title. Only 2 points separated the two when all was said and done. And Gakpo was a large reason for that- Dutch player of the year for a reason, you know.
12 goals and 13 assists in 27 games, and the scorer of the winning goal in the 2022 KNVB Cup final.
That was all that the biggest clubs in and around Europe needed to see. They were ready to make him an offer. And apparently Manchester United came the closest. But, it just was not meant to be.
“I was close to leaving (in the summer). I spoke to Erik ten Hag a few times at Manchester United. In the end the deal didn’t go through, which was a shame — for me and my development, because Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world, but also for PSV, because to transfer a player to Manchester United is a good thing for the club.”
And I guess another way of translating that last bit is, when I leave, I’d like to secure a ginormous bag for my hometown team. And he most certainly will.
It’s only a matter of time before his name is mentioned amongst the elite.
Actually, nevermind. It isn’t a matter of time- it’s right now. The World Cup never fails to elevate the profile of a select group of players that bring their very best to the table. The 2022 edition has proven itself to be Gakpo’s tournament.
He absolutely hit the ground running with 3 goals in his first 3 matches. And while that is already extremely impressive, just to make it even more impressive, his 3 goals have all been unique. A header after some clever movement to get in behind. A left footed thunderbolt from outside the box- his weaker foot, I might add. And a right footed strike in the bottom corner after some lovely interplay.
The man is dangerous. And I suspect he’ll be dangerous in Orange for many years to come.
How Good is Cody Gakpo?
Cool. So, all I’ve really done is talk about what man has done to get up to this point. But there’s a reason you clicked on this video. You want to know how good Cody Gakpo really is.
To which my answer… is that he’s good. He’s very very good.
A right footed player that finds joy in the wide areas of the pitch and has a knack for cutting in. Taller than your average winger, who often has a lower centre of gravity, that compliments their dribbling. But certainly doesn’t contribute to his detriment. He’s fast, direct and more than tricky enough to not need to be as agile as smaller attackers.
The comparison game when, it comes to current players and former players is something that is frequently annoying and unnecessary. All the same, it is near impossible to avoid. Gakpo has been compared to many players, but one that even the man himself has mentioned is Thierry Henry.
“Henry was more of a striker, but he was also tall and he liked to play off the side like me, so I watched clips of him and tried to learn something from him: the way he comes in from the left and shoots with his right. I don’t know if it’s working, but I tried to copy him a bit.”
Big man. It’s working.
We’ve already touched on his goalscoring abilities. That particular skillset of his is impressively varied. But apart from that, his creativity and all-round versatility is what sets him apart to me. He thrives in give and go, one touch scenarios. He can go deep and progress the ball. He can bend his run and be a decoy. In the 2022 World Cup, for example, he has already played as a 10, as an inside forward and as an out and out striker.
It’s quite something.
Just to make how good he is more tangible, let’s look at some of his key stats. Over the past 365 days, of course he has outperformed his XG of 0.5 expected goal per 90, with 0.67 actual goals per 90. Same thing goes for assists with 0.47 expected versus 0.62 actual.
He creates 6.7 shot creating actions per 90, as well at least 1 goal creating action per 90. That’s just a snapshot, I guess. But, of course his game is about so much more.
All of this is great. And it’s obvious to all that if he makes the right moves while keeping this up, there’s no telling how good he can become.
And the right move really is integral to this whole thing working out. We know Manchester United are in for him. Which is all well and good. But United already have every right footed, left sided attacker in the northern hemisphere in their club. If rumours are true, he’s wanted as striking reinforcement. Which again, is all well and good. We know that he has the qualities to develop into a great striker.
But he probably isn’t there just yet. And Manchester United hasn’t exactly been the greatest location to develop as a player in recent years. Even with Van Nistelrooy as his current PSV coach, from the look of things, perhaps this isn’t the best move for him. No doubt It’d be great for United if it were to happen, though.
We’ve heard Real Madrid being mentioned. Which also might have it’s own obstacles. Same goes for most of the top teams, really. He’s a top player, and along with his own growth, will likely make whichever team he goes to better.
But the question of which team is the best place for his development- that’s a tough ask.
We’ll just have to wait and find out, won’t we?