MONTERREY, Mexico – The Netherlands rallied behind striker Cody Gakpo after he and his partner lost their unborn son during pregnancy. Coach Ronald Koeman and captain Virgil van Dijk praised the pair’s resilience.
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Gakpo’s teammate Noah van der Bij announced the loss on social media on Saturday and Gakpo was given time off to spend with family members who are near the team’s base in Kansas City while the Netherlands compete in the World Cup.
“We did everything we could in terms of support, as players, as staff,” Koeman said.
“Certainly the first few days he had the freedom to go out to his family and be with them. He handled it very well; there was never a moment where he said, ‘I want to go back, I want to be with my family.'”
Van Dijk said he had great respect for the way Gakpo and his family handled the situation and said he expected the striker to be fully focused on Monday’s round of 16 match against Morocco.
“The most important thing is to ask, ‘What do you need?’ This is terrible news and shows that football is on the way out. There are more important things in life. It’s very sad, but Cody deals with it.
“He’s very mature, very grown up. I have a lot of respect for how he and his family are handling this situation. As terrible as it is, I have a lot of respect for it.”
Gakpo, who did not comment, is expected to play in Monday’s match.