Divock Origi facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids
Divock Origi
Personal information
Origi during Liverpool's Champions League victory parade
Full name	Divock Okoth Origi
Date of birth	(1995-04-18) 18 April 1995 (age 30)
Place of birth	Ostend, Belgium
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	AC Milan
Youth career
2001–2010	Genk
2010–2012	Lille
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2012–2013	Lille II	11	(2)
2012–2014	Lille	40	(6)
2014–2022	Liverpool	107	(22)
2014–2015	→ Lille (loan)	33	(8)
2017–2018	→ VfL Wolfsburg (loan)	31	(6)
2022–	AC Milan	27	(2)
2023–2024	→ Nottingham Forest (loan)	20	(0)
International career
2010	Belgium U15	2	(0)
2010–2011	Belgium U16	9	(1)
2011	Belgium U17	1	(0)
2012–2013	Belgium U19	19	(10)
2014–2015	Belgium U21	2	(0)
2014–2022	Belgium	32	(3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:49, 21 April 2024 (UTC)

Divock Okoth Origi (born 18 April 1995) is a professional footballer from Belgium. He plays as a striker for the Italian club AC Milan.

Divock Origi started his football journey at Lille in France. He scored a goal in his very first professional game in 2013. About a year and a half later, he joined the English club Liverpool. He was loaned back to Lille for one season.

After facing some challenges and injuries at Liverpool, and spending a year on loan at VfL Wolfsburg in Germany, Origi became a key player for Liverpool in the 2018–19 season. He famously scored two goals against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final, helping Liverpool make an amazing comeback. He also scored in the final against Tottenham, which helped Liverpool win the Champions League trophy. The next season, he was part of the team that won the 2019–20 Premier League, which was Liverpool's first league title in 30 years!

Origi first played for the Belgian national team in 2014. He was part of the team that reached the quarter-finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. At just 19 years old, he became the youngest player to score a goal for Belgium in a World Cup.

Early Life and Family Connections
Club Football Journey
Playing for Belgium
Football Achievements
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Family Connections

Divock Origi was born in Ostend, Belgium, and grew up in Houthalen-Oost. He comes from a family of footballers! His father, Mike Origi, played for several Belgian clubs and the Kenya national team. His uncles, Austin, Gerald, and Anthony, also played professional football. His cousin, Arnold Origi, is a professional goalkeeper for the Kenyan national team.

The Origi family is from the Luo ethnic group in Kenya. Divock can speak four languages fluently: Swahili, English, Dutch, and French.

Divock is a Christian. He believes his faith helps him work hard and stay focused. He has said that even when he makes mistakes, his faith helps him learn and grow.

In 2021, Divock Origi partnered with the University of Liverpool to create the Divock Origi Scholarship. This scholarship helps students who have financial difficulties pay for their university courses. It covers tuition fees and also provides money for living costs.

Club Football Journey

Starting His Career

Origi started playing football at the Genk youth academy when he was young. He spent nine years there. In May 2010, when he was 15, he joined Lille in France. He chose Lille even though Manchester United also wanted him to join their team.

Playing for Lille

Origi playing for Lille in 2014

On 24 January 2013, Origi was a substitute for Lille in a French Cup match. Nine days later, he made his first official appearance for Lille's senior team. He came on as a substitute and scored a goal, helping his team come back from being 1–0 down.

On 29 July 2014, Premier League club Liverpool bought Origi for about £10 million. He signed a five-year contract. However, Liverpool immediately loaned him back to Lille for the 2014–15 season.

Loan Season Back at Lille

In his first game back with Lille, Origi scored his first goal of the new season from a penalty kick. This goal secured a 1–0 win for his team.

On 11 December 2014, Lille lost a game in the UEFA Europa League. Origi had a penalty kick saved during that match. On 15 March 2015, Origi scored a hat-trick (three goals) for Lille in a 3–0 league win.

Time at Liverpool

Origi with Liverpool in 2016

On 11 July 2015, Origi joined Liverpool for their pre-season tour. He scored his first goal for Liverpool in a friendly match on 14 July, helping them win 4–0.

His first official game for Liverpool was on 12 September. He scored his first competitive goals for Liverpool on 2 December, scoring a hat-trick in a 6–1 win in the League Cup. Eleven days later, he scored his first Premier League goal, an equalizing goal in a 2–2 draw. On 14 February, he scored his second league goal just 27 seconds after coming on as a substitute, which was the fastest goal by a substitute that season.

On 7 April 2016, Liverpool's manager, Jürgen Klopp, chose Origi to start a Europa League match against Borussia Dortmund. Origi scored an important goal in that game, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Three days later, he scored two more goals in a 4–1 win.

On 20 April 2016, Origi got a serious ankle injury during a game. This was caused by a foul tackle from an opposing player.

In the 2016–17 season, Origi often came on as a substitute. He scored his first goal of that season in August 2016. On 1 April 2017, he scored Liverpool's third goal in a 3–1 win against rivals Everton. On 14 May, he scored another goal that helped Liverpool get closer to qualifying for the Champions League.

Loan to VfL Wolfsburg

On 31 August 2017, Origi was loaned to the German club VfL Wolfsburg for a season. He scored his first goal for them in September. He scored a total of six goals during his loan spell.

Return to Liverpool and Key Moments

Origi playing for Liverpool in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup

On 2 December 2018, Origi scored his first goal of the season in a local derby match against Everton. He came on as a substitute and scored with a header in the 96th minute, helping Liverpool win 1–0. On 4 May 2019, he scored a last-minute goal that kept Liverpool's hopes of winning the Premier League alive.

On 7 May 2019, Origi scored for the first time in the Champions League. He scored two goals in the semi-final against Barcelona, including the final goal that completed Liverpool's incredible comeback from a three-goal deficit. On 1 June 2019, he scored Liverpool's second goal in the 2019 UEFA Champions League final against Tottenham. This helped Liverpool win their first major trophy with him. He became only the second Belgian player to score in a Champions League final.

On 10 July 2019, Origi signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool. On 30 October, he scored two goals, including a last-minute bicycle kick, in an EFL Cup match that Liverpool won on penalties. On 4 December, he scored two more goals as Liverpool beat Everton 5–2, setting a new club record for unbeaten league matches.

In the 2020–21 season, Origi played seventeen times and scored one goal. In the 2021–22 season, he scored a special scorpion kick goal in an EFL Cup win. He also scored Liverpool's winning goal against AC Milan on 7 December 2021. This made Liverpool the first English club to win all six Champions League group games.

In June 2022, Liverpool announced that Origi would leave the club when his contract ended.

Moving to AC Milan

Origi playing for AC Milan in 2022

On 5 July 2022, Origi signed a four-year contract with the Italian club AC Milan in Serie A.

Loan to Nottingham Forest

On 1 September 2023, Origi joined the Premier League club Nottingham Forest on a loan for the season. He scored his first goal for Forest on 7 February 2024 in an FA Cup match.

Return to AC Milan

By July 2024, Origi returned to AC Milan. He is currently training with their youth team, Milan Futuro.

Playing for Belgium

Divock Origi has played for Belgium at different youth levels, including under-15, under-16, under-17, under-19, and under-21 teams. He scored ten goals for the under-19 team.

The Football Kenya Federation wanted Origi to play for the Kenya senior national team because of his family background. However, on 13 May 2014, the manager of the Belgian senior national team announced that Origi would be part of their squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Origi came on as a substitute in Belgium's first World Cup game against Algeria. In Belgium's second match, he scored his first goal for the senior national team in the 88th minute against Russia. This goal helped Belgium qualify for the next stage of the tournament. At 19 years, two months, and four days old, he became the youngest goalscorer in Belgian World Cup history. He was also the first player of Kenyan origin to score at a World Cup. Because of his great performances, he was named the Young Talent of the Year in Belgium in 2014.

Origi scored one goal during Belgium's successful UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. He was part of the squad for the main tournament, but he did not play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Football Achievements

Liverpool

Individual Awards

Belgian Sportsman Promising Talent of the Year: 2014

Images for kids

Origi playing for Lille in 2014
Origi with Liverpool in 2016
Origi playing for Liverpool in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup
Origi playing for AC Milan in 2022