(Video) Cody Gakpo pays tribute to Diogo Jota with goal celebration v Athletic Bilbao
Cody Gakpo was on target for Liverpool in their friendly against Athletic Bilbao, and he duly took the opportunity to pay tribute to Diogo Jota.
The double header of fixtures at Anfield on Monday is the first time that football has been played at the stadium since the tragic death of the 28-year-old in a car crash in northern Spain at the start of July, with his brother Andre Silva also being killed in that accident.
In the 20th minute of both matches against the LaLiga side today, play was stopped momentarily so that fans, players and coaching staff could join with a moment’s applause in memory of our forever number 20.
Gakpo copies famous Jota celebration
The game was level at 1-1 when Ryan Gravenberch let fly from 25 yards, and his shot was parried by Unai Simon, with Gakpo and Hugo Ekitike both ready to pounce upon the loose ball.
It was the ex-PSV Eindhoven attacker who got the final touch, and he marked the moment by paying tribute to Jota in copying the Portuguese icon’s ‘baby shark’ goal celebration, one of several choreographed moves for which the late forward was famed at Anfield.
The 26-year-old was unfortunate to divert an Athletic Bilbao corner kick into his own net shortly afterwards, but he scored at the right end for a second time in the 70th minute as Simon made a mess of his efforts to keep out the shot.
Gakpo set to be a crucial figure for Liverpool again this season
Gakpo will be playing in a much-changed Liverpool forward line this season, with his former teammate having tragically been killed and Luis Diaz moving on to Bayern Munich, with Darwin Nunez potentially exiting Anfield as well.
Ekitike has arrived in their place, while fellow newcomer Florian Wirtz could also be deployed in attack, and of course there remans the possibility of Alexander Isak being added to the mix.
The Dutchman was Liverpool’s second-highest scorer last season with 18 goals, which should see the left-sided attacking berth being his to lose, even with the sensational emergence of Rio Ngumoha in recent weeks.
We won’t know the exact composition of the Reds’ attacking options until the transfer window closes on 1 September, but it seems certain that Gakpo will again be a crucial figure for Arne Slot’s side in 2025/26.
You can view Gakpo’s tribute to Jota below, taken from LFCTV’s match coverage and shared via @flrnwirtz on X:
— @drwnunez (@flrnwirtz) August 4, 2025
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