The forward of the Netherlands national team and his girlfriend lost their child

The girlfriend of Dutch football player Cody Hakpo, model Noa van der Bij, on Saturday announced the tragic news of the death of their unborn son during pregnancy. The child was supposed to be born in October this year. It should be noted that the couple is already raising one common son. On her social media page, Noah posted a heartwarming photo of her and Cody holding hands over a baby blanket and a little knitted hat. "Thank you for your love and support. Elijah Raphael Hakpo. Forever loved. Forever our son," Van der Buij wrote. The football player himself also addressed the fans and the press with a request to give the family peace during this period: "This is an incredibly difficult time for our family. We ask that you respect our privacy and space. Thank you for your understanding," Hakpo wrote. Despite the family tragedy, the 27-year-old forward will continue his performances at the World Cup. The Dutch Football Association issued an official statement confirming that Hakpo's decision to stay at the tournament was made after discussing the situation with his girlfriend. "We are with Cody and his family. This is a very difficult situation. Of course, we were aware of this and we support him in every possible way. Cody, after talking with his girlfriend, decided to stay in the group. We respect their privacy and will not make any further comments," the association said. We will remind that at this tournament, Cody Gakpo already scored two goals in the winning match against Sweden, which helped the Netherlands national team. The team will play its next match on Monday in Mexico - in the 1/16 finals, Oranje will face the semi-finalists of the 2022 World Cup, Morocco.