Gakpo’s performance under the San Siro lights was his best of the new season so far, as Liverpool begin to find their feet under new boss and fellow Dutchman Arne Slot. A promising first season for the Reds last year coincided with him and his girlfriend, Noa, becoming parents for the first time. The 25-year-old then went on to have a strong outing at Euro 2024 where he bagged three goals to share the Golden Boot.

Today, dressed in textbook footballer fit drip – black Celine tracksuit – Gakpo is just back from a post-match warm-down. Sitting in front of a big print of one of his favourite psalms, he’s keen to chat about the importance of family, faith, and future-proofing for life after football.

GQ: When it comes to your off-the-field style, what’s your sweet spot?

Cody Gakpo: I’m most comfortable in just a tracksuit like this one. A good trackie is always the best.

A lot of clubs, Liverpool included, now like to document players’ training-ground fits. Do you get a heads up when that’s happening?

Yeah, we know when [the photographer] is coming. When she’s there, most of us dress up a little bit. For me, it depends on the day, and how much time I have got. Some [of the players] are doing their best, but not me. I’m way more chill.

Am I right in saying you’ve caught the watch bug?

I like to know a lot about watches but that doesn’t mean I want to buy them all – I just find it interesting. When I was younger, there was a Rolex dealer in Eindhoven where I’m from, and I saw this two-tone rose-gold steel Datejust with a chocolate dial and diamonds in the dial. That’s the first watch where I thought, “Oof, I really like that one.”

Do you have many in your collection?

Not that much, most watches I have bought due to special occasions. I have a rose-gold Daytona I bought after scoring my first goal for the national team [in 2021] and a platinum Daytona that was a treat for moving from PSV to Anfield. When it’s for something really special, I engrave it with the date or the occasion. I also have a Vacheron Constantin Overseas and got an orange strap for it especially for the Euros. That’s the only watch I’ve worn for four months.

You mentioned you’re having a haircut later in the week.

Getting a haircut is important because you’re on TV, you’re representing yourself and the club, so you need to look good. I’ve had it long before, but almost all my life I’ve had it short. It suits me the best now, especially with the beard.

How have things changed since you welcomed your son into the world in April?

I play a lot with him and when he needs to get a new nappy and everything, I need to be there as well. I don’t want to miss those things, and try to help my girlfriend wherever I can, but she needs her credit. She does a lot, so it makes it easier for me to get sleep. For example, last night I got home at like four in the morning, so my girl, she understands that I need a little bit more sleep. Because of that I have enough energy to do whatever I have to do on the pitch.

Do you get any parental advice from your teammates in the dressing room?

A lot of [Liverpool players] already have kids so when you speak about those things, they give advice but then they say maybe it doesn’t work, or maybe he does sleep all night, or maybe he doesn’t want to drink this or eat that. Every baby is different, that’s the thing I learned from all of them. But no baby sleeps [laughs].

Does being a dad make you more determined to be a better footballer?

Everything I do is for him now so yeah, the performance on the pitch I think is part of that. He’s still young but maybe when he is older and understands [what I do], then it’s even more of a yes.

Would you like to have more?

[Smiles] The door’s open [with Noa in earshot] so I won’t say how many… but…

Outside of football, you have a growing portfolio of businesses you invest in. How did that all start?

I’m somebody who’s interested in how to become a better person as well as a player – in how to become smarter and how to handle money, so investing is one of those things. At home in Holland, it was 2020 when I began to do real estate and a few months ago, I started observing the fields of venture capital and private equity funds. When my son was born, that’s one of the reasons I stepped into those things.

Are you very conscious that you can only be a professional footballer for so many years?

I don’t know about other players, but it’s common sense for me. You play until hopefully you’re 40 but then it stops, so you have to have things in place that you can do afterwards. It doesn’t have to be big. It has to be something you like, you have interest in, because now we go to work with a smile. So if you have something you are interested in, you keep doing that with passion.

How important is your Christian faith to you?

When I read scripture and study the Bible, it’s like a lifestyle. As a football player, when you’re home, you’re not done because you have to eat good, sleep good, so you’re always busy with that and involved with being a better player. For me, my faith is the same. It’s all day, every day. Everywhere you can become a better person and in my opinion you can become closer to God through that guidance.

Having teammates from all over the world must make it interesting when it comes to sharing religious views?

Where I’m from, the neighbourhood was quite mixed so Christianity, Muslims, non-believers, maybe some Buddhism too. Liverpool is quite similar too, and it has been a nice place to speak about beliefs because nobody’s judging. We are there together to become the best team in the world – whether you believe or not, we are all trying to be good human beings.

With an anthem like ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, maybe Jesus is a Liverpool fan?

[Laughs] He is there for all. Liverpool is a very warm club, and that’s important. Like you said, with [You’ll Never Walk Alone] before games and how the fans are involved in everything, it’s just amazing. I feel good to be there, very happy and grateful.