Cody Gakpo, the Dutch scorer who has nothing to envy to Messi, Neymar and Mbappé

hardly anyone knew Cody Gakpo before the ball started rolling in Qatar 2022. Hardly anyone knew him, but now everyone is talking about him because he had a perfect group stage: three games and three goals to push the Netherlands to win their group and go unbeaten to the round of 16 But what he did in this World Cup is no coincidence. Is that this 23-year-old boy has statistics in 2022 comparable to the stratospheric numbers of kylian mbappe, neymar Y Lionel Messi. Everyone, of course, is talking about who the big figures at this event in the Middle East are so far (and as expected). But hardly anyone had Gakpo on their radar that this Friday, starting at 16:00, will be one of the great concerns of the Argentine national team in the duel that will be played at the Lusail stadium and that a ticket to the semi-finals of the tournament will be at stake.

In this season He played, between his team and the selected team, 33 games with 18 goals and 18 assists. These are fabulous numbers beyond the fact that the Dutch one is considered a Serie B championship. But, it is worth saying, not even Ligue 1 in France, where Messi, Neymar and Mbappé compete, is not a top competition. Clearly, beyond the economic power of PSG, it is one step below England, Spain, Germany and Italy.

That’s why the comparison works. The Argentine, extraordinarily current at 35, has 15 goals and 18 assists in 24 games; the Brazilian has 16 and 13 in 22 appearances and the French phenomenon (23) has 26 and 7 in 29 games. Numbers don’t lie. Can’t reach them? Want more? the Norwegian Erling Haaland (22), another of the footballers of the moment, but who is watching the World Cup on TV, has amassed 29 whoops and 4 goal passes this season. Apparently, Gakpo’s numbers are typical of a top player.

However, who is cody gakpo? His story is a typical story of these times of globalization. He was born on May 7, 1999 in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Son of Johnny, a Togolese emigrant, and Ank, a Dutch woman, the boy spent his entire career in the club born under the auspices of Philips, the Dutch company famous throughout the world for its electronics and sanitary products.

He was able to play for Togo, even for Ghana, because his father had ancestors from that African country, but in the end he decided to defend the colors of his maternal blood. So much so that from the youth category he wore the orange shirt. And he was always in clear evolution. Until last year he played in the Sub 21, where he contributed seven goals in thirteen games. The same figure that he accumulates so far with the senior team, under the tutelage of the controversial louis vangaal, with six goals. The bottom three were in an explosive first stage in this World Cup. Is that he converted his team’s first goal against Senegal (2-0), Ecuador (1-1) and Qatar (2-0).

Let’s go to its technical sheet: His right leg is on the right, but he plays with the changed profile, on the left. It measures 1.93 meters and is the great figure of PSV, who are third in the Eredivisie, behind Feyenoord and Ajax in the classic Holy Trinity of Dutch football. He reached the First Division in 2018 and has since established himself as one of the players in the franchise.

So much so that before the start of the World Cup his name rang strong to get to Manchester United. The DT, also Dutch Erik ten Hag, I thought of him as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo before leaving to seek a luxurious retirement in Saudi football. However, another giant has gone into oblivion for his services: Real Madrid. Its market price? Before Qatar it was worth 46 million euros. It’s worth much more.

Virgil van Dijk, leader of the Dutch national team, knows it: “He’s a great guy. Cody works hard, he’s very talented and there’s definitely more to him” the Liverpool defender said when asked about Gakpo’s future. And he didn’t stop there: “With all due respect, but Manchester United is not at the level of Real Madrid. He deserves the best and should go to Madrid.”

What should Argentina know about Gakpo? Even though he moves as a left winger at his club, Van Gaal usually uses him in various attacking positions. On his debut, against Senegal, he played in front of the midfield line and behind the two wings in the 3-4-1-2 formation saved by the man who revolutionized football from Ajax. Against Ecuador and Qatar, however, he moved as a striker starting from the right, but without a fixed position. In all three games he was tasked with breaking zero. He played the same role in the round of 16 against the United States, when his scoring streak ended. Fast and mobile despite his six feet, It will be a concern for Nicolás Otamendi and Cristian Romero because he understands very well with Memphis Depay, another striker who does not refer.

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