Cody Gakpo’s partner Noa van der Bij shared an emotional tribute after the Liverpool star scored against Morocco in the World Cup days after the death of their unborn son
12:04, 30 Jun 2026
Cody Gakpo celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between the Netherlands and Morocco
Cody Gakpo scored against Morocco days after him and his partner Noa van der Bij announced the death of their unborn son(Image: Getty Images)
Cody Gakpo’s partner has shared an emotional tribute on social media after the Netherlands forward scored in the World Cup days after the tragic death of their unborn son.
The couple recently shared devastating news that their second child had passed away during pregnancy. Despite the immense personal grief, Gakpo showed remarkable strength to take part in the Netherlands ’ Round of 32 clash against Morocco.
The 27-year-old was visibly emotional after scoring to put his side 1–0 ahead, immediately collapsing to the ground in tears. His teammates rushed to comfort him, with players from both the pitch and the bench offering support during a deeply emotional moment in the match.
Noa took to Instagram to pay tribute to her partner, resharing an image of Gakpo’s celebration as he pointed to the sky following his goal. Alongside the post, she added an orange heart and praying hands emoji, writing simply: “So proud.”
Gakpo’s goal came just days after Noa confirmed the tragic news that their child, whom they had named Elijah, had died during pregnancy. She said: "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.”
In a separate post, Gakpo said: "This is an incredibly difficult time for our family. We kindly ask for our privacy and space. Thank you for your understanding."
The revelation prompted an overwhelming wave of sympathy for Gakpo and his family, though the Liverpool forward had already confirmed he was ready to feature for Ronald Koeman’s side against Morocco at Estadio Monterrey on Monday.
Noa van der Bij's Instagram story
Noa van der Bij paid tribute to Gakpo's goal(Image: noavdbij/Instagram)
"Being there for Cody is the most important thing," Virgil van Dijk told a press conference on Sunday. "It's terrible. At such a moment, it becomes clear again that football is a side issue. And that there are more important things in life. It's very sad. You never want to go through this.
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"But as the national coach says, and knowing Cody, he is very keen to continue for a round. He dealt with it very maturely. I have a lot of respect for how he, but also Noa and his family, have handled this."
Gakpo’s goal appeared to have secured the Netherlands a place in the World Cup last 16, but Morocco struck back in stoppage time through Issa Diop to level the match and force penalties. Morocco ultimately prevailed 3–2 in the shootout, sending the Netherlands out of the tournament in dramatic fashion.
Gakpo started every match of the campaign for his country, finishing as the team’s standout attacking threat with three goals and becoming the second-highest all-time Dutch scorer at a single World Cup. The 27-year-old was withdrawn in the 113th minute of extra time and did not participate in the penalty shootout.