In the winter of 2023, Dutch international Cody Gakpo was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, but eventually joined Liverpool from PSV Eindhoven.
He has shown his natural dexterity by being used in midfield as well as forward.
The 25-year-old attacker has also been selected to represent his country at this summer’s EURO 2024, but when asked about the toughest defender he has played against, he named Brazilian defender Thiago Silva, who was at Chelsea until this season, and praised his intelligence.
“He (Thiago Silva) was one of my first games here at Liverpool,”
“He was just really smart. He is a little bit older now, but, yeah, a very class defender, really smart, thinking a few steps ahead.”
“I don’t even know if I got in a physical duel with him, but he was just there, everywhere.”
ESPN
At 39 years of age, his physical decline is undeniable, but he has more than compensated for this with his ability to sense danger, and has continued to support the London club’s final line.
He has also been a regular starter at AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, where he has long been a top performer.
Having decided to return to his native country, the player will walk into a new challenge in Brazil, but his record of embarrassing the strikers he has faced in the Premier League will continue to be talked about.