Cody Gakpo’s rise to the top of European football didn’t begin at PSV Eindhoven or Liverpool. It began at home. Behind the Netherlands star are two former athletes who understood competition long before he did. His father, Johnny Gakpo, played football in Togo, while his mother, Ank Gakpo, excelled in rugby in the Netherlands. Together, they created an environment where discipline and hard work were always non-negotiable. So when Gakpo calmly converts penalties, delivers on the biggest stages, and carries the expectations of a nation, he’s not just showcasing his own talent, but he’s reflecting the lessons instilled by the sporting parents who helped shape one of Dutch football’s brightest stars.

Who are Cody Gakpo’s parents?

If you look at Cody Gakpo’s athleticism, you’ll see it’s a perfect cocktail of his parents’ genes. The dad is Johnny Gakpo, a Togolese national who suits up for Ghanaian roots. He was the athlete, playing professional soccer in Togo’s top flight and even earning a cap for the Togolese national team.

The mom is Ank Gakpo, a former professional rugby player who proudly represented the Netherlands on the international stage. How did this power couple meet? It sounds like a rom-com. Ank was backpacking through Africa in the 80s, and she happened to walk into the same bar in Togo where Johnny was hanging out. They fell in love, and Johnny packed his bags for Europe.

Together, they built a sports dynasty. Aside from Cody, they raised two other athletic boys: older brother Sidney (who also plays locally) and the youngest, Ducferre. Today, Johnny is retired from the pitch and has shifted his focus entirely to charity. He regularly takes Cody back to Togo to give back to the community, handing out food and aid to kids who need it most. Ank, meanwhile, found her calling in the classroom, working as a dedicated high school teacher in the Netherlands, shaping young minds.

What is the ethnicity of Cody Gakpo’s parents?

Here is where the story gets colorful. Cody Gakpo is a true multicultural weapon. His dad, Johnny, was born in Togo, West Africa, but the family tree also branches into Ghana. Meanwhile, his mother is Dutch through and through. This makes Cody Togolese-Dutch by nationality, but his ethnic identity spans the Atlantic.

Cody has admitted that growing up, he felt the “African upbringing” was super strict compared to his Dutch friends’ households. “When I visited friends I always noticed that things were slightly different at our house,” he once told PSV’s website. “The African upbringing is a bit stricter. When I was young, I didn’t like that very much, but when I look back on it, it’s been really good.”

That strictness paid off. While his dad wanted to represent Togo and his mom represented Holland, Cody proudly chose the Netherlands despite the Ghana FA trying to sway him to the Black Stars. He honors his roots by wearing Togo kits in training, but on matchday, he wreaks havoc in the Dutch national team’s famous Orange.

Inside Cody Gakpo’s relationship with his parents

Let’s be real, most international soccer stars stop taking advice from their dads once the millions start rolling in. Cody Gakpo is not like that. His relationship with his father is famously intense. Johnny is still his son’s toughest critic. After a lackluster performance for Liverpool, Cody once returned home on a rainy night. Did Johnny pat him on the back? No. The 60-year-old reportedly pulled him into the garden and said, “OK, I’ll be [Mohamed] Salah,” recreating the exact mistakes from the game until Cody fixed them.

“My dad made me into a student of the game, but it was my mom who made me believe,” Cody revealed in a recent article. “You can tell your mom anything, right?” Ank is his emotional anchor, always backing his crazy dreams when he doubts himself. It’s the classic dynamic: tough love from the African dad and technical discipline from the Dutch rugby mom. That balance is why Cody doesn’t crack under the bright lights of the Champions League or the World Cup.

As Cody Gakpo prepares for another crucial chapter with the Netherlands, all eyes are on the forward who continues to deliver when the stakes are highest. With the World Cup underway and expectations growing, the Liverpool star is once again carrying the hopes of his nation. But behind every goal and standout performance is a foundation built long before the bright lights and packed stadiums. Gakpo’s journey has been shaped by his parents, Johnny and Ank Gakpo, two former athletes whose influence helped mold the disciplined, driven player the world sees today.