From showing a young Cody Gakpo black-and-white videos of Pele and Maradona to conducting training sessions for him outside of his time with PSV Eindhoven's academy, the Liverpool star's father Johnny has been, and remains, a pivotal presence in his son's life and career.
In a personal article for The Players' Tribune, Gakpo has reflected upon his journey to Anfield - and he has revealed that his father is still giving him extra coaching sessions now!
'OK I'll be Salah'
"I remember I came home from a match last season, and I didn’t have a great performance. Not bad, just not great," says Gakpo.
"It was one of those cold, rainy Liverpool days, and all I wanted to do when I got home was chill. But my dad wasn’t having it. Before I even got my shoes off, he said, 'Son. Outside.'
"I said, 'Huh?' "He said, 'In the garden. Let’s go.'
"So I grabbed a ball, and we went out into the garden. It was already dark, and it was still raining.
"Any error I made, we repeated the exact situation, just like how we used to practise when I was a kid. He said, 'OK, I’ll be [Mohamed] Salah.' And he ran over to the right wing, and recreated the same scenario from the game. 'OK, let’s do it right this time.'
"I am not being funny! This is real. He does this all the time. I’ll come home after a Champions League game, and Dad will be waiting.
'Ah, you have some time for me today?' I say, 'Yes, yes, come.'
"And then we go to my garden and practise some mistake I made 10, 20 times, until I can do it with my eyes closed. He’ll usually ask one of my brothers to come as well to play as the defender …. Dad’s almost 60, now, to be fair. So he can’t always be Ruben Dias!"
Deciding his future
Prior to joining Liverpool, several clubs including Leeds United and Manchester United had shown interest in signing the 6ft 4in Dutchman from PSV.
Raised in a Christian home, Gakpo - who once revealed “I take the Bible with me everywhere and every day” - turned to his religion to help him make a decision on his future.
"I prayed, and I asked God for guidance. But you see, I had to make sure I got his message," says Gakpo.
"The next day we played, and I scored twice. I was also involved in a third goal - and at first, it was called as an own goal. Then I was subbed out. So, two goals, right? I thought, 'Ah, OK, it’s Leeds then.' I was at peace with my decision.
"As I was sitting on the bench, I told my friend, Jordan Teze, who now plays for Monaco, the whole story. He was like, 'If God wants you to stay, that own goal will be awarded to you.' It was like a coin toss, waiting to see what they decided. It could have gone either way! But after the game, they gave me the goal. I scored three, so my fate changed. I stayed at PSV.
"It’s a funny story, but in a way, that’s a really important piece of the puzzle. Thank God I stayed because that allowed me to play in the World Cup, which led to Liverpool."
'I love being at Liverpool'
Arriving at Liverpool in January 2023, Gakpo settled in almost immediately, unfazed by the intensity of the Premier League or the Anfield faithful's expectations.
"I love being at Liverpool. I’d heard about the fans - everyone has - but I still was shocked to experience it in person," says Gakpo.
"The excitement for every goal feels a little like the World Cup. And in a strange way, being here gives me that same feeling I get in Eindhoven, or Lomé….
"It feels like home."
Under the guidance of Arne Slot, Gakpo has taken his game to another level, becoming a key reason why they sit six points clear at the top of the Premier League.
He has struck eight times in the league, including important strikes against Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion.
"I don’t think the outside world really expected much from us in the beginning of this season, if I’m being honest," he says. "Because last season’s story was, we were great until the last 10 games, and then we messed it up. We knew we were close.
"We just needed a little bit more, but couldn’t get it.
"We built this brick by brick. And now, we’re in a good place to really challenge for the title.
"When everybody’s fit, we have every position covered with at least two quality players. One strength [Manchester] City had in the last few years is their depth.
"And I think we have that at the moment as well, which will carry us far … hopefully, far enough to win the league."
To learn more about Gakpo, his experience of playing against Lionel Messi and returning to Togo, read the full article here.
