Cody Gakpo: Liverpool signing breaks Klopp’s ‘golden rule’

Suraj Radia

• 16 Feb 2023 17:53 GMT
• 3 min read

Cody Gakpo only arrived at Liverpool in January but he has already broken one of the ‘golden rules’ Jurgen Klopp has held throughout his time at the club.

The Dutch forward joined the club last month from PSV for an initial £37 million but he had so far struggled to make an impact on the pitch and his rule-breaking may indicate he still is settling into life at Liverpool.

Liverpool are known for their historic traditions and culture and Klopp had attempted to incorporate his own philosophy onto his players – by banning them from touching the ‘This is Anfield’ sign which sits in the stadium’s matchday tunnel.

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The Reds boss revealed in 2016 that he didn’t want his stars to touch the sign until they had lifted a trophy, although players such as Jordan Henderson have been known to have broken the rule.

“I’ve told my players not to touch the ‘This Is Anfield’ sign until they win something,” Klopp said. “It's a sign of respect. I touched it when I was manager of Borussia Dortmund but we lost 4-0!”

Gakpo was seen touching the sign on Liverpool’s ‘Inside Anfield’ video on YouTube prior to the recent win over Everton, however the rebellious act appeared to pay off as the Dutchman scored his first goal for the club in the derby.

Rules are made to be broken for some…

‘The Anfield sign’ is something which both Liverpool players and opponents have taken note of over the years, with new signings under past managers having taken photos touching it during their unveiling.

Reds midfielder Thiago Alcantara was previously seen touching the sign, while former favourite Gini Wijnaldum posted a picture on Instagram after Liverpool’s 2019 Champions League triumph with the caption: “Boss wouldn’t let us touch the sign until we won a trophy… now is the time.”

Arsenal legend Ian Wright had admitted he touched the sign ‘because it was iconic’, something which ex-Manchester United captain Roy Keane disagreed with, calling his ITV colleague ‘childish’ for doing it.

Keane said: “No, of course [I didn’t touch it]. I think it’s OK, it’s a tradition for the English players, but not for the opposition,” he said.

“I’m not sure why you touched it Wrighty. It’s silly, it’s really childish.”