Real Madrid are perhaps the most iconic and instantly recognisable institution in the world of football.
Boasting a haul of 106 official trophies in their history, which includes a record 36 La Liga titles and a record 15 UEFA Champions League titles, it is not hard to see why.
In addition to their renowned football team, however, a perhaps lesser-known fact about the Real Madrid organisation is that they also employ teams of other sports.
Their basketball team, known as Real Madrid Baloncesto, has also enjoyed plenty of success domestically in the Liga ACB and in the EuroLeague on continental level.
On Friday, the Real Madrid basketball team announced the acquisition of a new player, Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, who plays as a guard.
Luwawu-Cabarrot has played in the biggest basketball league in the world, the NBA, for several seasons in the past, and much can be said about his quality.
Many fans, however, could not look past how similar he looked to Liverpool and Netherlands winger Cody Gakpo.
I know that I'm not the only one who think this is Cody Gakpo 😆 https://t.co/pnwM76bvS7
— Living Liverpool (@Livin_Liverpool) July 17, 2026
Delving deeper into this, there are multiple reasons why this is the case.
First and foremost, both have tall and athletic builds. Luwawu-Cabarrot is around 2.01 m (6’7″), while Gakpo is about 1.93 m (6’4″).
It also looks like both have similarly long, oval faces with defined jawlines. Almond-shaped eyes are also a feature both athletes seem to share.
Their natural similarities are further strengthened due to the hair and beard style both players rock. At the moment, both Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot and Cody Gakpo sport close-cropped short skin fades paired with a goatee or trimmed beard, and this leads to them sharing a profound resemblance.
Another key factor common between the pair is that they are both of African descent.
Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot was born in Cannes, France, but is of Congolese descent through his father, while Cody Gakpo, who was born in Eindhoven, Netherlands, is of Togolese and Ghanian descent from the paternal side of his family tree.
This perhaps has a role to play in the fact that their skin tone and facial proportions also seem to be quite similar.
While discussions drawing parallels between the two stars will continue amongst fans, both Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot and Cody Gakpo will be hard at work to ensure they enjoy successful 2026/27 seasons with their respective clubs.
