Premier League win, Slot's coaching, World Cup dreams: Gakpo on where it all started

Eindhoven [Netherlands], August 6 (ANI): Following his Premier League triumph with Liverpool this year, striker Cody Gakpo reflected on his title win with The Reds and also opened up about his aspirations to secure for the Netherlands, their first-ever FIFA World Cup title next year.
Gakpo was speaking to Sky Sports in an exclusive interview. Three months after he played a crucial role in Liverpool's Premier League title triumph after beating Tottenham Hotspur 5-1, the 26-year-old returned to the Cruyff Courts nestled among a row of houses on the outskirts of Eindhoven, where he developed his game as a kid.
Playing for FC Eindhoven (2003-07) and PSV Eindhoven (2007-16) as a youth, he graduated to senior ranks as a serious talent for Jong PSV (2016-19), PSV Eindhoven (2018-23) before his Liverpool debut in January 2023. In 91 matches for this legendary English club, he has scored 25 goals and made 11 assists.
Back as a Premier League champion to a place which shaped him, Gakpo said to Sky Sports, "You know, when you are young, you just do whatever you like, and I liked to play football a lot, so that is what I did a lot. I would not believe you if you had told me I would be a Premier League champion, I would not be thinking about it."
"Being here now, it does make you think back about everything you have been through, those moments, we reached something very special this year. I thought this day just could not go wrong. So even when Tottenham scored, I think nobody on the pitch had a worried feeling or anything, because we knew we were going to seal the deal that day," he added.
When he scored in the clash against Tottenham, which solidified Liverpool as Premier League champions with 84 points and 25 wins in 38 matches, Gakpo lifted his shirt and revealed a t-shirt with a phrase "I belong to Jesus", emulating what Brazillian icon Kaka did after winning the 2007 UEFA Champions League title with AC Milan.
Speaking on that match, Gakpo said that for a lot of players, it was the first time that they were playing on such a grand occasion in the world's most prolific, richest football league.
"It was very special, and an emotional day for everybody involved. I think we were all very proud at the time, still are what we did last season but it also gave us a lot of hunger that we want to do it again and again, and even we felt a little bit of frustration that we were knocked out of the Champions League (in the round of 16), because then maybe we had something more special," he added.
Speaking on Liverpool manager Arne Slot, Gakpo pointed out that it is his "detail" which he finds amazing.
"In some games, you just saw what he was like, he would say to Virgil (Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool captain) to make a slight change, and then you see the whole team adapting, and then maybe we score a goal or we defend better and then when it works out, you really believe in what he wants. You know how he wants to play, and then you have to adapt to that," he added.
Speaking on what Slot is like as a person, he said that the coach is "very normal", but "very focused" during a training session or a team meeting.
"He is very serious, very demanding as well, from the quality, from the intensity, but when the training is over and we do maybe a team activity or something, and he is there, he is very relaxed. I think everybody likes him as a person. Obviously, when you win, it makes it a little bit easier. Occasionally, like in the derby against Everton, we saw a little bit of raw emotion from the manager, but I think, overall, he is very calm, and tries to speak with logic a lot of times. He does not let the emotion get the better of him," he added.
While his rise from Eindhoven to Liverpool has been remarkable, he wants to win the Netherlands their first-ever FIFA World Cup, after three runners-up finishes in 1974, 1978 and 2010. In the previous edition in Qatar back in 2022, they were knocked out in the quarterfinals and finished fifth after a loss to eventual champions Argentina. Gakpo has made 40 appearances in national colours, scoring 15 times.
"That would be amazing. That is also a goal we all fight for. We have a lot of players now who are reaching top teams, and this only gives us more quality and depth in the squad. Hopefully, it will bring us very far next summer," he concluded. (ANI)