‘I take the Bible with me everywhere’: The Christian faith of Cody Gakpo

Since moving to the Premiership in January, Dutch international Cody Gakpo has been making an impression both on and off the pitch. Tim Bechervaise takes a look at the faith of the latest Christian footballer in the Liverpool dressing room

How would you expect a high-profile Premier League footballer to spend a 13-hour flight from the UK to Singapore, where their club is playing in a pre-season tour? A box-set or a few movies? Chatting with teammates? Listening to a podcast or flicking through a magazine? Whatever it is, I’d imagine that reading the Bible would not be not high among your guesses. But that’s exactly what one Liverpool player did earlier this summer.

The player is Cody Gakpo and the in-flight activity, highlighted in an interview with The Daily Mail, is perhaps what inspired him to write the words of Proverbs 16:9 – “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps” – in an Instagram post to his 1.4 million followers during the tour.