Cody Gakpo was on fire with a stunning double in the Netherlands’ 5-1 demolition of Sweden in Houston at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Those two goals weren’t the only decisive moments in the game from the Liverpool attacker.
Gakpo also assisted the opening goal when his run and cross were put into the net by Brian Brobbey.
This was the second game of the World Cup for the Netherlands and Cody Gakpo has started both of them.
It’s clear that the former PSV Eindhoven star is a favourite of current national team manager Ronald Koeman.
And it’s clear from his performances on the international stage.
Nobody at Houston Stadium took more shots than Cody Gakpo, who fired five efforts at goal across a performance that had the 27-year-old looking every inch the player Netherlands fans have always believed him to be.
His brace drew him level with Robin van Persie as the Netherlands’ most prolific scorer in World Cup group stage history, taking his tally to five goals in the competition’s group phase.
Gakpo prodded in from close range after a dangerous low cross from Dumfries for his first, then turned inside his defender and fired low into the bottom corner for a second seven minutes later.
Composed, clinical, and completely in control of his body.
The contrast with a Liverpool campaign that yielded just nine goals in 52 games was stark and impossible to ignore.
At Anfield, Gakpo wasn’t given the same assurances and trust last season as head coach Arne Slot looked to integrate big money signings like Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike in the frontline and typically at the expense of the Netherlands attacker.
It’s one of the reasons why reports states that Cody Gakpo has asked to leave Liverpool.
His overall international record underlines his importance to the national team further.
Gakpo and Brian Brobbey became only the second pair of Dutch teammates to score multiple goals in a single World Cup match, contributing to a result that tied the most goals the Netherlands have ever scored in a single World Cup fixture.
None of this arrives out of nowhere.
In Qatar in 2022, Gakpo scored in all three group games.
The World Cup has consistently drawn out a version of him that Liverpool supporters have caught only glimpses of.
His 50 goals in 180 club appearances are the numbers of a useful squad player, whereas his 23 goals in 52 international appearances are the numbers of a player who feels like part of the core fabric of the team.
In an interview after the game, Cody Gakpo was asked to explain why he’s been able to put on such stronger performances in this tournament compared to his club form.
“It’s a little bit different,” Gakpo started to answer.
“How I play here, where the coach wants me to be, the freedom that I have than at the club,” he said, before catching himself mid-sentence. “That’s it basically”.
With Cody Gakpo talking about having more freedom with his country, compared to at his club, it appears that he’s having a dig at the lack of freedom he felt under former Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.
And it’s likely that the extra freedom he’s now being afforded is resulting in better performances and outcomes.
The question now is whether Andoni Iraola, who inherits a Liverpool squad still adjusting to life after Arne Slot, can unlock the same thing Ronald Koeman has.
Because what Gakpo almost said in that interview, before thinking better of it, is the most interesting insight into potentially unlocking his unquestionable potential on a more regular basis.
Want to get the latest Liverpool news direct to your phone? Join our WhatsApp community by clicking here.
