In a tent amid Doha’s university campus the player to take lessons from was sitting to Cody Gakpo’s right. Daley Blind knows the value of a searing World Cup debut: he was 24 when the Netherlands beat Spain 5-1 in a modern classic eight years ago and the first of his two assists was for Robin van Persie’s extraordinary body-flipping header. “It was a great game, maybe that game changed my life,” Blind said. “We’ll see about that for everyone who is in the tournament.”
That outcome already seems nailed on for Gakpo. His teammate had been asked to make a comparison with the winger’s outstanding first week at Qatar 2022, which has brought two goals and directly earned a stuttering side four points. It is hardly a secret Gakpo is destined for higher echelons than those inhabited by PSV Eindhoven but football’s month-long showpiece remains the most significant validator to global eyes. He has blazed on to the scene and the Netherlands’ prospects may, to a large extent, depend on him.
