Virgil van Dijk has offered his support to Cody Gakpo after the winger turned down the offer of time off after his partner, Noa van der Bij, suffered a miscarriage.
Amid an important World Cup campaign, Gakpo suffered the heartbreaking loss of their unborn second child, Elijah Raphael.
His girlfriend, Noa, posted on Saturday: “With broken hearts we share the devastating news that our baby boy passed away during pregnancy.
“Thank you for your love and support. Elijah Raphael Gakpo. Forever loved. Forever our son.”
Following the announcement, Ronald Koeman explained that the Netherlands national team “gave him the freedom to leave the hotel and be with the family in the first few days.”
He has now returned to training, though, ahead of their last-32 tie against Morocco on Tuesday at 2am (BST).
Virgil van Dijk gives Cody Gakpo public support
Gakpo’s Netherlands and Liverpool captain, Van Dijk, was asked about his teammate’s loss on Sunday.
“Being there for Cody is the most important thing,” Van Dijk replied.
“It is terrible. It becomes clear again at such a moment that football is a side issue and there are more important things in life.
“It’s very sad. You never want to go through this, but as the national coach says and knowing Cody, he is very keen to continue.
“He dealt with it very maturely. I have a lot of respect for how he, but also Noa and his family, have handled this.”
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, May 4, 2025: Liverpool's Cody Gakpo (L) and captain Virgil van Dijk during the pre-match warm-up before the FA Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
As Van Dijk mentioned, Koeman also praised Gakpo for how he has handled the situation.
Sat alongside the skipper, the Netherlands coach said: “We did everything in our power to support him.
“As a staff, we gave him the freedom to leave the hotel and be with the family in the first few days.
“I think Cody handled that very well. There has never been a moment when he said, ‘I want to go back [home] or I want to be with the family’.
“He has assessed that himself and done it in his own way. I think that shows maturity, how he and the family have dealt with this.”
The boss added: “He is ready to play and it doesn’t affect his performance. He does this in his own way with the family, and that is very strong and beautiful.
Virgil Van Dijk of Netherlands and team mates applaud the fans after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group F match between Netherlands and Japan at Dallas Stadium (Credit: Craig Mercer/ Alamy Live News)
“We have left it that way. We have been there as support where we could be, just like the players.”
As long as he is in the right emotional state, Gakpo should start for his country against Morocco, alongside Van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch in Monterrey.
Should they progress past the 2022 semi-finalists, the Netherlands will face Canada on July 4 in Houston.