By Adegboyega Adeleye
Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk has thrown his support behind teammate Cody Gakpo following the death of the striker’s unborn son, insisting that “football is secondary” as the Dutch prepare for their World Cup last-16 clash against Morocco.
Gakpo and his partner, Noa van der Bij, announced the heartbreaking loss of their unborn child on Saturday. The Liverpool forward has since been given time away from the squad to spend with his family, who are staying near the Netherlands’ team base in Kansas City during the World Cup.
Speaking ahead of Monday’s knockout tie, captain Van Dijk said the Dutch squad had rallied around Gakpo during the difficult period.
“The most important thing is to ask: ‘What do you need?’ It’s awful news and it shows that football is secondary. There are more important things in life. It’s very sad but Cody deals with it.
“He’s very mature, very adult. I have lots of respect for the way he and his family are handling this. However awful it is, I respect it very much,” Van Dijk said.
Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman also praised Gakpo’s resilience, revealing the striker had been given the freedom to be with his family after the tragic news.
“We have done what was within our power in terms of support, as players, as staff,” Koeman said.
“Of course, the first few days, he had the freedom to go out to his family and be with them. He dealt with it very well, there was never a moment where he said ‘I want to go back, I want to be with the family’.”
Despite the personal tragedy, Gakpo is expected to feature when the Netherlands face Morocco in the Round of 16 on Monday, although he has not made any public comment since the announcement.
The development comes just two days after Gakpo and Van der Bij revealed the loss of their unborn son in an emotional social media post, prompting an outpouring of support from teammates, clubs and fans across the football world.