Liverpool FC: How the fear of unfulfilled potential drives Divock Origi

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Chris Shaw @shawct --It is past midnight in Hong Kong and the humming noise at Liverpool's hotel is beginning to subside. Lights have dimmed. Guests have retired to bed. Silence reigns on every floor. But, down in the team’s meeting and leisure space at the Ritz-Carlton in Kowloon, Divock Origi is bright, alert and brimming with conversation.
There’s a caveat. The Belgian’s demeanour can partly be explained by the carefully managed schedule used by the club during pre-season trips which involve a significant time difference to home.
Origi and his teammates are operating four hours behind local time, meaning as we settle in for a chat the Reds striker has just finished a replenishing evening meal after an earlier running session in the humidity and rain of the region.
There are other reasons for his relaxed, talkative nature, though.
Not least his fundamental approach to life and football. Positivity is the priority. Blessings are counted each day. Every opportunity is a gift. “It’s a human feeling to feel pressure, to doubt, to sometimes feel down,” the 22-year-old tells Liverpoolfc.com. “But I look more on the bright side. I really appreciate the things that I’ve got in life, even the simple things: being healthy, having a family that’s around me.
“The fact I can play at this level at this age is a blessing. It’s on me to enjoy every moment. I thank God every day for the things and the people that I have around me, for the moments I can share with them, for the simple things and for the fact I can express myself on the pitch at this level.
“You can bring so much joy to people – that’s something special. Football brings people together and that’s nice.”
In Origi’s case, football has brought this thoughtful young man here from his hometown of Ostend in Belgium, via a transformative stay in Lille that might never have happened were it not for teenage boldness. Faced with a crossroads in the early years of his career, the comfort zone of the familiar was an appealing option. Why not stick with what you know?
But the path less trodden was chosen. “I find in the difficult moments, that’s what forms you. Football-wise, it’s a little bit about giving up some typical moments you would have at 15, 16, or 17,” he reflects on a decision that ultimately created a diversion to Anfield.
“From 15 years of age, I left my home and went to a boarding school in Lille. I chose to go to Lille. I had the option to stay and play for Genk, but my heart said Lille – because I love football and that’s where I could express myself. We had school, training and everything in the same area. Mentally, at that age, you see other boys of that age doing different things and experiencing different things.
“It’s very hard. It’s very easy to slip. At that moment, and still, I’m so in love with football. When you’re in love with something you don’t see the other thing. It was the same.
“Other kids in my boarding school were doing different things, they were dating with a lot of girls, but I never had the need because I knew that football is the thing that I love most. I saw the consequences it had; these boys were often sent away, and they were sometimes even more talented than me.
“Also, my father [Mike, a former Kenya international] was very disciplined in his life – that’s how he made it so far. And my religion, being a Christian, has values of working hard, staying focused on the right things that help you in life. Of course you’re going to slip. I made mistakes. But those mistakes helped me and still help me these days.”
It was three years on Saturday that Origi completed a transfer to the club. -Read more: http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/269761-how-the-fear-of-unfulfilled-potential-drives-divock-origi
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