Goodbye Divock Origi, Liverpool's never-to-be forgotten cult hero

A little while after Liverpool had lifted the Premier League trophy at a near-empty but electrified Anfield in July 2020, ending that 30-year wait for the title, something caught the attention of observers inside the ground. All players and staff had departed down the tunnel before one suddenly reappeared: Divock Origi. He walked towards the centre circle and, amid the ticker tape, put his arms behind his back and fixed his gaze on the Kop. It was a curious sight but also, it felt, a telling one – this was the Belgian’s way of saying goodbye.

If it was goodbye then it was a long one because only now, close to two years later, is Origi leaving Liverpool, the club announcing on Thursday that the striker will depart when his contract expires at the end of the month. Milan, recently crowned Serie A champions, are heavily reported to be his next destination.

“A truly special journey, with iconic moments in our history delivered by @DivockOrigi time and time again … Thank you for everything,” read a tweet from Liverpool’s Twitter account. It follows the guard of honour Origi received after the victory over Wolves on the final day of the Premier League campaign, when he not only took in applause from his teammates but gifts from club executives, including the owner John W Henry, while those in the stands lustily chanted his name. All in all it is quite the fuss for anyone, let alone a team’s sixth-choice striker.

But then Liverpool has always been a place where cult heroes are treasured, from Joey Jones and David Fairclough to Djimi Traoré and Lucas Leiva, and it can be argued none have done so little yet so much quite like Origi. Nowhere near being a great goalscorer – there were only 41 in 175 appearances across his eight