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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Freddie Keighley

Liverpool pay moving tribute to Divock Origi as cult hero departs Anfield

Divock Origi was presented with signed pictures and hailed by the Liverpool faithful as he stepped out at Anfield for the final time on Sunday evening.

The Belgian striker, 27, is leaving the Reds at the expiry of his contract in June and AC Milan are the frontrunners for his services. He gave Liverpool fans many a memorable moment since arriving on Merseyside in 2015, most famously scoring twice against Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semi-finals.

Origi was unable to feature in the Reds' final home game of the season, their 3-1 victory over Wolves in the Premier League, due to injury but the club made sure to pay tribute to him after the match. He emerged from the tunnel to a guard of honour from his teammates while carrying the FA Cup Liverpool won earlier in May.

Origi was then greeted by Liverpool owner John W. Henry and handed a signed picture of some of his most iconic moments as well as a photo of the 'Champions Wall'. The player leaves Anfield with a cult hero reputation having scored many a late winner and important goal across his 175 appearances for the club.

It remains to be seen whether he will be able to feature in next Saturday's Champions League final against Real Madrid. The former Lille star famously scored in the 2019 final against Tottenham, doubling the Reds' lead late on to secure the trophy. He leaves Liverpool with a glut of winners' medals but will hope to earn more minutes wherever he ends up.

Jurgen Klopp requested Liverpool give Origi a fitting send-off earlier this week, so he will have been pleased to hear the player's name ring around the stadium during the stirring post-match presentation.

Do Liverpool need to replace Divock Origi this summer? Have your say in the comments!

Divock Origi was greeted by Liverpool owner John W. Henry (PA Images)
The Belgian striker helped the Reds win the FA Cup this season (PA Images)

"I expect Div to get a special farewell," the Liverpool manager said. "For me, he will always be a Liverpool legend and it has been a joy to work with him. He's one of the most important players I ever had. Wherever he will go he will be successful, 100 per cent.

"It will be a hard moment when he leaves. He is a Liverpool legend, no doubt." Origi helped Liverpool win the league title in 2020 but the Reds fell short by one point in this season's title race. It seemed as though they could snatch the title on the final day as Manchester City trailed Aston Villa for 78 minutes, only for Pep Guardiola's side to come from two goals down and win 3-2 to secure the trophy.

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