10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT DIVOCK ORIGI

Divock Origi is the first new face in for the champions. The Belgian striker arrives from Liverpool, where he was an important part of the Klopp era winning six trophies, including the 2018/19 Champions League and the 2019/20 Premier League. Origi is a well-known name for football fans in Europe, but delving into his past has uncovered some rather interesting stories and unknown facts about him. Here are ten that we have found:

NOMEN OMEN
From the day he was born in Ostenda (18 April 1995), sport was always his destiny. His name, Divock, was in fact chosen by his parents in honour of the Serbian basketball player Vlade Divac. Origi is also a huge basketball fan and follower of NBA, so much so that he doesn't follow any team in particular.

A FAMILY OF FOOTBALLERS
Speaking of destiny, football has always been an essential part of the Origi family life, with Divock having several family members who were footballers. Let's start off with his father Mike, who was an ex-Kenyan international and who won the Belgian league title with Genk in the 1998/99 season. This has often been city by Origi as a major influence in wanting to become a professional football player. In Kenya, his uncles Austin, Gerald and Anthony were all footballers, while Arnold, his cousin, is considered as one of the best goalkeepers in the history of Kenyan football, and who played mostly in Norway and Finland.

FROM PRESIDENTS TO OSCAR AWARDS
The Origi family actually descends from the Luo tribe, now found spread across several Central African countries. Also, descending from the same tribe is none other than ex-president of the United States Barack Obama - from his father Barack Sr. - and Oscar award wininng actress Lupita Nyong'o. 

AN EX ROSSONERO IDOL
As a passionate football lover, Divock sees himself as a student of the game, constantly looking to learn and grow. In his first Rossoneri interview, he spoke admirably about various forwards in the history of AC Milan, from Van Basten to Shevchenko, Inzaghi and Weah. His idol as a child also wore the famous red and black shirt: Luís Nazário de Lima, better known as Ronaldo. 

THE MARACANÃ AT HIS FEET
Between Anfield and the San Siro, Origi's past, present, and probably future, has seen him develop on the biggest stages; the same can be said about his international career, too. His first goal for Belgium was in fact at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro on 22 June 2014. Replacing Romelu Lukaku, Divock netted an 88th minute winner to give the Belgians a 1-0 win over Russia and a place in the 2014 World Cup round of 16.

ORIGI THE DOLPHIN
The goal scored against Russian at the 2014 World Cup made Divock Belgium's youngest ever scorer at a World Cup Finals, as well as the the first player of Kenyan origin to score in a World Cup. That goal, though, isn't only remembered as a footballing achievement: three days later, on 25 June 2014, the employees of Boudewijn Seapark in Bruges gave the "Origi" name to a newly born dolphin.

SIMON WAS THERE, TOO
After starting out in the youth sides of Genk, Origi, 15 years of age at the time, decided to move to Lille in France, where he made his professional debut and finished up with 14 goals and 73 appearances in his three seasons in Ligue 1. With the French side, he debuted in the Champions League, a preliminary round game against Swiss side Grasshopper, and shared the dressing room with a player he has just been reunited with this summer: Simon Kjær, at Lille from 2013 to 2015.

THREE FOR THE FIRST TIME
Having arrived at Liverpool in the summer of 2014, Origi chose an important moment to get his first goals for the club; it was a quarter-final tie in the 2015/16 League Cup away to Southampton. He actually came away with a hat-trick for Klopp's side in a 6-1 thrashing, where they would eventually reach the final of the competition and face Manchester City.

THE MIRACLE OF ANFIELD
Over time at Liverpool, Origi confirmed himself as being a player who could be relied on, ready to contribute when called upon from the subs bench. His career highlight is undoubtedly the brace he scored in the 2018/19 Champions League semi-final 2nd leg against Barcellona - his first career goals in the competition - that saw Liverpool fight back from a 3-0 loss at Camp Nou to win 4-0 at Anfield and win 4-3 on aggregate.

SAN SIRO HIS DESTINY
Divock repeated the feat of Barcellona by also netting in the final in Madrid against Tottenham, putting his seal on Liverpool's sixth Champions League trophy in its history. In closing the circle of important goals in important stadiums, Origi's last goal in the Champions League unbelievably arrived at San Siro against AC Milan last December. Again, it created more history, as Liverpool became the first English side in the history of the competition to win all six group stage games.

The AC Milan 2022/23 season tickets are now available: #UnaStoriaUnica, see you at San Siro!