A couple of months ago even some of his team-mates had never heard of him. Now Divock Origi is one of the leading faces of Belgium’s World Cup challenge and Marc Wilmots is under pressure to give the 19-year-old his first start of the tournament in Tuesday’s last-16 match with the USA.
Origi-mania is sweeping across the flat country. Check out a dance party in Antwerp this summer and you will probably hear the rush-released oeuvre of the local DJ, Ronny Mosuse, a hypnotic techno tribute to the country’s favourite new goal-getter in which the only lyric consists of endless repetition of “Origigigi, Origogogo”.
Go to Boudewijn Seapark in Bruges and you will see the new-born dolphin named Origi in honour of the teenage winger. And check out the transfer stories and you will find a slew of European clubs declaring their affection for the player, with Liverpool reportedly close to capturing his signature before loaning him back to Lille to continue his development.
It is a far cry from the surprise or indifference that greeted Wilmots’s squad announcement in May, when it was revealed that Origi had been chosen as the replacement for the injured Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke. “I did not know him,” Marouane Fellaini said later. All Origi’s inclusion meant to most onlookers was that Belgium would be heavily reliant on Romelu Lukaku to lead the attack.
But Lukaku has struggled in Brazil, looking ponderous and diminished by the expectation placed on him. By contrast, Origi has looked sharp, dynamic and dangerous in his three appearances off the bench, notably when he scored the winning goal against Russia after replacing the Chelsea striker in the 57th minute.
Fans of Lille are used to seeing Origi make an impact as a substitute. He joined them as a 15-year-old from Genk, one of several Belgian clubs that his father, the former Kenya striker Mike Origi, had played for. After a couple of years in Lille’s youth team, Origi made his senior debut at age of 17 in February 2013, coming on as a second-half substitute against Troyes and scoring six minutes later.
He made nine more appearances that season, all from the bench, and although he did not add to his goal tally, his strength and dashing directness established him as an exciting talent. He confirmed that impression last season when he made 30 league appearances, 12 as a starter. Usually deployed out wide, he scored five goals and created plenty for Salomon Kalou. Lille fans loved him, scouts started tracking him, but Origi’s renown had not spread beyond those relatively small circles.
“Even most of the media didn’t know who he was when I called him up,” Wilmots said after Origi’s goal against Russia. “I love launching young kids. He’s in a good space right now. And everyone knows who he is.”
His impressed team-mates say that Origi, who is fluent in French, Flemish, English and Swahili, is smart and focused and unlikely to be distracted by the acclaim he is now receiving. His father, who is with him in Brazil, has no doubt been a good influence, and perhaps also his two uncles who also played top-flight football in Kenya, and cousin Arnold, who is a goalkeeper for Lillestrom in Norway. “My father has always warned me to be careful because in football you can easily lapse into complacency,” Origi said last season.
“He is someone with discipline,” says Wilmots while Fellaini says: “He has a lot of quality, he can score goals, he’s fast and he has good technique. He is young, [against Russia] he showed everything.”
He still needs to show that he can perform at his best consistently. His decision-making was the one aspect of his game that was criticised and Origi acknowledged towards the end of the season that he needed to develop more composure, especially with his final passes.
Even with concerns about the fitness of the captain, Vincent Kompany, and a variety of other attacking options, the main question Wilmots faces before the USA match is whether Origi – who is in such rich form while Lukaku is playing so poorly – merits a start. Wilmots might not be ready to give up on Lukaku – he left the striker out of the final group game against South Korea, but with qualification practically secured, that was not a full-strength line-up, as Eden Hazard was also omitted.
There is a feeling that Wilmots rested Lukaku to give him a chance to gather confidence. Miroslav Klose showed when he came on for Germany that against the USA it can be rewarding to have a natural centre-forward used to getting on the end of deliveries from a cast of nimble conjurers and Lukaku still has more experience of doing that than Origi.
What is clear is that even though Belgium have not sparkled in this tournament, they have deeper resources than many realised.
