Divock Origi went from being a fringe Liverpool player to scoring in the Champions League final.
What a difference a year made for Liverpool hitman Divock Origi.
The Belgian scored in the final of the Champions League last June as the Reds won the competition for a sixth time, having also scored twice in the miraculous semi-final comeback against Barcelona.
That was the second year in a row that Liverpool reached the final of Europe’s elite tournament.
On that occasion, when Jurgen Klopp’s side lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in Kiev, the Belgian striker was watching from the Caribbean, having just finished a season-long loan at Wolfsburg.
The 24-year-old has revealed to Liverpool’s official website that he tried to text his German manager after the game but, despite the message not going through, Origi claims it was ‘fate’ for him to help heal the wounds from Ukraine a year later.
“The crazy thing is, I remember texting the coach after the game [in Kiev]. I didn’t want to say many words, but used the bicep emoji to say ‘keep strong, keep on going’ and I said ‘we are going to be back next season’.
“That text never went through, but in my head I said ‘we’, as if I was in it. I don’t even know if the manager knows, but the text never went through. In the end I came back and ended up scoring in the final, so that was quite symbolic. Maybe it was fate, definitely.”
Origi hasn’t had a huge impact this season, only netting five goals across all competitions – and only three in the Premier League.
But what an option Klopp has off the bench if he needs a goal every now and again which, if we’re honest, isn’t all that often.
If the former Lille marksman can be a game-changer against Barcelona, he can be a game-changer against anyone and it’ll be interesting to see if he can help Liverpool retain their European title.
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