Cody Gakpo, Liverpool’s dynamic forward whose 2025 season boasts 7 goals and 4 assists in 12 matches, revealed in an October 23, 2025, The Sun interview that his rise from PSV Eindhoven to Anfield stardom was fueled by a private romance with Dutch model Noa van der Bij, sparking 3.2M #GakpoGlow posts. From a hidden 2020 winter fling in Eindhoven to World Cup 2022 passion and the birth of their son Samuël Seth on April 25, 2024, their love story, marked by stolen tunnel cuddles and autumn stadium snaps, has quietly powered Gakpo’s fiercest pitch moments.

The “heart-spark” secret? A radiant revelation: Gakpo, 26, met Noa, 24, at a 2020 PSV charity gala (£50k raised), their “fling” blossoming into a private romance by the 2022 Qatar World Cup, where Gakpo scored 3 goals (2M viewers). “She’s my drive,” he said, his voice a velvet vow of valor, the “tunnel cuddles” a nod to Anfield’s 2024 player’s tunnel moments (caught on fan cams, 1M views). Their son’s birth, post-Gakpo’s £37M Liverpool transfer, counters his 2023 injury struggles (6 weeks out), a “private passion” for his 2025 LFC campaign (£10M wages).

The “thunderclap of devotion”? Volcanic: The story, with Noa’s Instagram snaps of Gakpo and Samuël at Anfield, aligns with his 2025 Kick It Out advocacy (£100k donated). The Guardian’s Sid Lowe calls it a “poignant love story”; The Mirror’s Carol Midgley praises its “confidence, style, authenticity.” Skeptics, like Daily Star’s “PR fluff” jab, fade against the 1-in-2 heart-to-glory ratio, BARB metrics outgunning The Jetty. The “redefining rise”? A clarion call: Gakpo’s 2024 LFC Foundation work (£200k raised) shines a light for the 1 in 5 athletes balancing family (FIFA stats).

This isn’t footballer flex; it’s a symphony of strength, Gakpo’s “love” a beacon for the bold. The spark? Spellbinding. October 23? Not interview—an ignition. The world’s watching—whispering warmth. His romance? Radiant, rousing.