Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo and his partner, Noa van der Bij, have experienced a miscarriage, van der Bij announced on Saturday. The news was shared in a post on social media.
"With broken hearts, we share that our little boy passed away during pregnancy. Thank you for all the support," van der Bij wrote.
Gakpo, 27, is currently with the Netherlands national team for the World Cup. The timing of the loss of their unborn child is not publicly known.
Van der Bij, who has a son named Samuel with Gakpo, also shared a personal reflection. "We went to church together and lit a candle. Afterwards, we went to the playground with our son Samuel. There was another child there and his name was Elijah. There could not have been a more beautiful sign from God."
The couple had announced they were expecting their second son approximately four weeks prior to this announcement.
According to Dutch publication De Telegraaf, Gakpo's delayed arrival to team training four days prior to the announcement was due to this personal matter. The Netherlands' football federation clarified that Gakpo was not late for training but had a valid reason for his delayed appearance.