In the third episode of The Black Stars Podcast, we examine how diaspora players impact Ghana's football ambitions and the broader issues of identity, preparation and infrastructure that influence their decisions.

Liverpool star Cody Gakpo has revealed that Lionel Messi was his childhood idol, while giving an ultimate compliment to former team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Netherlands international was hit with a series of questions about his career and some of the best players he has come up against. And in it, he sung the praises of some well-known faces over the years.

Cody Gakpo was honest in his reflection of Liverpool's performance at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with Chelsea grabbing a late winner through Estevao Willian in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The defeat was "hard to take" for the Dutchman, who believes that the visitors played "better" football than the hosts and deserved to come away with a more positive result.

Gary Neville used his post-match podcast to eviscerate the second half efforts of Liverpool's attackers after the Reds fell to their third consecutive defeat in all competitions with a 2-1 defeat away at Chelsea. The ex-Manchester United man went as far as to call the efforts of Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo as "completely useless" in the closing moments of the fixture.

Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo has been told to contribute more on the left flank as the Reds continue to struggle defensively in the 2025-26 season. Arne Slot's side made a perfect start to their title defence campaign but have now faltered in the past few weeks as they have lost three matches in a row across all competitions against Crystal Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea.