Divock Origi: An Anfield icon leaving in style

Just when you think Divock Origi’s race at Liverpool has been run, he finds another burst. Just when you think the book has closed on his remarkable Anfield story, he adds another thrilling chapter.

The Belgium striker is set to finally move on when his contract expires this summer. He has been mulling over a lucrative offer from AC Milan after a season when his opportunities have been limited.

A spectator for so much of Liverpool’s pursuit of an unprecedented quadruple, Origi must have increasingly feared that he would be leaving via the back door rather than the front. That would have been a travesty.

Before the Merseyside derby, he had made it onto the pitch for just a couple of minutes since the FA Cup win over Norwich City on March 2. The 27-year-old has had to settle for life as Jurgen Klopp’s sixth-choice attacker behind Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino.

Origi did not even make the bench for the two recent matches with Manchester City but Firmino’s foot injury handed him a return to the match-day squad in midweek.

Staff have spoken glowingly about the attitude and application he continued to show on the training field during a frustrating period for him. He epitomises the selfless “team-first” ethic that Klopp demands.

It is why when Liverpool were in desperate need of inspiration against Everton, Klopp knew he could count on Origi. The introduction of Origi and Diaz for the final half-hour transformed a difficult afternoon and kept dreams of Premier League title glory alive.

Having linked up expertly with Salah in the build-up to Andrew Robertson’s opener, Origi then nodded home the second from Diaz’s acrobatic volley.

There is something about Everton that brings out the best of Origi. That was his sixth derby goal in 10 outings — the same tally as Robbie Fowler (six in 17 games) and more than Sir Kenny Dalglish (five in 23 games). For context, Origi’s next best haul against anyone is three each against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southampton, West Ham United and Stade Rennais (while playing for Lille).

This was another iconic cameo for Origi’s collection. He is now Liverpool’s highest-scoring substitute in the Premier League era with 11 goals, surpassing Daniel Sturridge.

Origi, who has not started a top-flight game for 15 months, would have been sold last summer if Liverpool’s asking price of around £15 million had been met. Klopp was shocked that no one came calling.

He was in a slump after a season when his solitary goal arrived against Lincoln City in the League Cup and did not even make Belgium’s standby list for last summer’s European Championship.

But he was determined to stay and prove he could still play a part. His love for the city as well as the club was underlined by his funding of a scholarship scheme with the University of Liverpool. Teenagers Bushra Ihmaidat and Grace Murphy are doing law degrees thanks to Origi’s support.

He boasts the kind of highlights reel that most players can only dream of. His debut season at Anfield in 2015-16 included the 96th-minute equaliser at home to West Bromwich Albion that led to Klopp urging his players to hold hands in front of the Kop. It was the standing point for the fortress to be rebuilt.

There were the crucial goals in both legs of the Europa League quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund before his progress was halted by the serious ankle injury inflicted by Everton’s Ramiro Funes Mori. He has made them pay many times since.

At times, Origi’s career has veered alarmingly off course. He has been hampered by a lack of self-belief. There was an underwhelming loan spell at Wolfsburg in 2017-18. Liverpool agreed a fee of £22 million with Wolves the following summer but Origi turned down the move.

Out of favour for the first half of 2018-19 and seemingly on his way out of the club, his fortunes were revived by the last-gasp winner against Everton when he punished Jordan Pickford’s blunder at Anfield — his first top-flight goal for 19 months.

His late header at Newcastle United took the title race down to the final day. There was the double in the miraculous fightback against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final at Anfield before he came off the bench to seal victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the final.

This is a man so calm, so relaxed that James Milner says he often wonders what life is like on “Planet Origi”. That laidback mindset serves him well in high-pressure situations. Banners have been made in tribute to him. From “Football Without Origi Is Nothing” to “Lionel Messi wears Divock Origi pyjamas”.

Robertson tweeted earlier this season about how he was looking forward to taking his grandkids to “visit the Divock Origi statue one day”. It needs to be commissioned.

The arrival of Jota and then Diaz knocked him down the pecking order, but Origi’s ability to step up remains undimmed.

In December, he got the late winner at Molineux when Liverpool looked set to have to settle for a draw. His impact on Sunday against Everton was just as impressive. How valuable those points could prove come next month. How fortunate Liverpool were that he has stuck around.

“Divock is a legend on and off the pitch,” says Klopp. “He is a world-class striker, he is our best finisher, definitely. Everybody loves Div and rightly so. I’m very happy for him.”

Origi’s name echoed around Anfield in the closing stages. Out of the shadows and into the limelight once again. The end is in sight for him at Liverpool but he will not be leaving quietly. He is going out the front rather than the back.

(Top photo: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)