Divock Origi has retired aged 31 after a career that saw him win the Premier League and the Champions League – but it all could have turned out very differently for the Belgian
17:15, 08 Jun 2026Updated 17:20, 08 Jun 2026
Divock Origi celebrates after scoring during the 2019 Champions League final
Divock Origi celebrates after scoring during the 2019 Champions League final(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool cult hero Divock Origi announced his retirement on Monday, and he is a player who will be fondly remembered by all who saw him turn out for the Reds.
During his time at Anfield, Origi was not quite at the level required to be a regular starter in the Reds' attack – which is no great shame considering for most of his time at the club Liverpool 's front three was Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
But he produced several memorable moments during his time at the club, including a goal in the 2019 Champions League final against Tottenham, and a brace in the semi-final comeback against Barcelona.
However, it could have been a very different story for the Belgian at Liverpool, had he move clubs a year earlier as he was expected to.
Writing in the The Players' Tribune as he confirmed his retirement from soccer, Origi said: "Now, I will tell you something I never shared before publicly.
"When I came back from [a loan spell with] Wolfsburg [at the end of the 2017-18 season], I was supposed to leave Liverpool.
"Wolverhampton came with an offer of 30 million, and it made sense to go. I was out of the team. I wasn’t playing at all.
"But when I prayed about it, for some reason it didn’t feel right. Something kept telling me to stay. And that’s when my faith kicked in.
"I can’t explain it, but I just felt like Liverpool was where God wanted me to be. I thought, 'it might not make sense now, but something good will come from this'.
"I stayed in Liverpool, and the first six months were extremely tough. Like I said, I wasn’t playing. I was doing heavy 5ks when I wasn’t in the matchday squad. Even during the 11 v 11 games at training I couldn’t participate. I had to be on the sidelines watching.
Divock Origi lifts the Champions League trophy in 2019
Divock Origi lifts the Champions League trophy in 2019(Image: VI Images via Getty Images)
"But Klopp was always there. I knew he believed in me. He’d always say, 'Hey, keep training like this. Keep going.'"
Origi's persistence at Liverpool was rewarded when an injury to Roberto Firmino prompted Klopp to call on him to start the famous Barcelona game at Anfield in 2019.
Origi scored Liverpool's first and fourth goals in the 4-0 win, which secured the Reds a place in the Champions League final against Tottenham.
The now 31-year-old started that game on the bench, but came on in the second half to score Liverpool's second goal in a 2-0 win.
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Although statistically, Origi's best goal-scoring season for Liverpool came in 2016-17, when he scored 11 goals, his most memorable campaign was that Champions League-winning 2018-19 season, in which he also scored notable late winners in Premier League games against Everton and Newcastle.