Oranje top star thanks Jürgen Klopp for European Championship explosion
Dutch forward Cody Gakpo is one of the best strikers at the EURO, despite not always playing for Liverpool FC. Ahead of the Netherlands' EURO semi-final against England on Wednesday (21:00/ARD and MagentaTV and live on ntv.de), the 25-year-old has expressed gratitude towards his former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp.
He is the top scorer for the Netherlands, but is mostly a substitute for Liverpool: This discrepancy in the striker Cody Gakpo might not be understandable to everyone at the European Football Championship in Germany. Before the EURO semi-final against England, Gakpo thanked his former club trainer Klopp.
"I learned a lot in Liverpool - also from the manager," Gakpo said at a press conference in the Dutch EURO quarters in Wolfsburg. "My life has changed a lot through this transfer. I went to another country, to a big club. I have developed as a person and as a player through that. The biggest difference is: In Liverpool, I was mostly a striker, here I play on the left side. That's my strongest position."
Gakpo eyes goalscoring records
The Netherlands will face England with eight Premier League professionals in the semi-final. Among them is former Bayern Munich striker Joshua Zirkzee from FC Bologna, who is rumored to be joining Manchester United. "I've talked to Trent and Joe about the game," Gakpo said. "They have a really fantastic team." Dutch teammates Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez, along with Gakpo and Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk, have played together for Liverpool.
In the 2:1 win over Turkey in the quarter-final on Saturday evening in Berlin, Gakpo scored the crucial own goal against Mert Müldür (76). With his foot, he overtook the record of the sole top scorer at this EURO. He currently shares the top spot in the scoring chart with three goals, Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah, German forward Jamal Musiala, Georgian forward Georges Mikautadze, and Slovak defender Ivan Schranz. All three competitors are already eliminated and cannot catch up.
Gakpo's gratitude towards Klopp extends beyond his time at Liverpool FC, as he attributes significant personal and professional growth to his tenure under the German manager. Following the Netherlands' victory against Turkey, Gakpo now shares the top scorer position in the European Football Championship 2024 with several players, including Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah, despite predominantly playing as a substitute for the Reds.
