Divock Origi may have been a virtual unknown before the World Cup but ‘Baby Kluivert’ is sure to be on many top European clubs’ shopping list when he leaves Brazil.
The Belgian teenager was the hero of the hour in his team’s 1-0 win over Russia on Sunday that propelled them into the last 16 with a group game to spare.
Twice the 19-year-old has replaced Romelu Lukaku and brought energy and freshness to the Belgian forward line.
“It hasn’t sunk in what’s happening to me. Playing at a World Cup, scoring at the Maracana in front of my parents and my sister. It’s crazy,” said Origi after his match-winner against Russia.
His quick rise to prominence is not such a shock though.
Origi’s father, a Kenyan called Mike, was a professional footballer who played with Genk in Belgium. Origi himself was born in Belgium, in Ostend, where his family settled.
Yet he moved to Lille at the age of 15 and it was there that he was given his first team debut at 17, scoring just six minutes after coming on as a substitute in a game against Troyes.
And Origi is proud to have come off a production line in Lille that has already provided two key elements in the Belgium national team, Eden Hazard and Kevin Mirallas.
“I’m proud to follow in the footsteps of players like Kevin and Eden,” said Origi.
“And for the fans, I’m the new Belgian at Lille. But what Eden’s done here (at Lille) has never been seen before, his is an incredible talent,” Origi told Belgian weekly magazine Sport/Footmagazine.
Like Hazard, who spurned the advances of many of Europe’s biggest clubs in 2011 to remain one more season at Lille and experience Champions League football before heading to Chelsea a year later, Origi seems to have a wise head on his young shoulders.
Although his family is Kenyan, Origi’s loyalty to Belgium is without question, yet it was his desire to get the best start to his career that saw him leave home at such a young age and try his luck with Lille, despite having started out in the youth set-up at his father’s old club.
“Belgium for me is a no-brainer, I’ve never thought about playing for any other national colours. Belgium is my home,” he said.
“I was very happy at Genk but I thought the French academy and Lille were at a higher level.
“It wasn’t an easy choice because there were other clubs in Germany, England, everywhere really.
“Right now I remain convinced that France was the best option. And on top of that, I was touched by Hazard’s success.”
While Hazard is perhaps the benchmark, it is to former Dutch international Patrick Kluivert that Origi is compared in Lille.
“Baby Kluivert, is a nickname that Salomon Kalou gave me. It’s obviously flattering but I’m not getting carried away.”
Origi’s chance in the limelight owes itself to the misfortune of Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke, who ruptured his Achilles tendon a few weeks ago, ruling him out of the tournament.
“It goes without saying, I hardly expected to be at the World Cup. I’m surprised because it’s always good to be in a talented group like this, with great players,” said Origi.
“Now I believe that if you’re here, it’s because you deserve to be.”
Benteke would have challenged Lukaku for the sole striking role in Marc Wilmots’s team whereas the Belgium boss sees Origi’s role as more that of an Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“I noticed at Lille that Divock always played well when he came on as a type of joker,” said Wilmots.
“He doesn’t need much time to get into the rhythm and become effective.”
With Belgium already qualified, the supersub might get the opportunity to show his skills from the start and give his coach even more of a selection headache.