Football has its characters as well as its creatives. Right now, the game is spinning in places that ooze a positive energy and encouraging style. Divock Origi is testament to that. Having hit the top flight with Liverpool in 2014, last season saw him seek regular action with a loan move to VfL Wolfsburg. Very much a player who looks to create his own luck, he’s a striker with an inquisitive mind and a cultural appreciation. From late goals to high fashion, let's go...
At what point in your life did style and fashion become a big deal for you?
Ever since I was small. I think it comes from my mum, because she’s very stylish. I think it’s always been in me, even when I was very young I always used to combine my clothes, and I would always get compliments about my outfits. Every time I was given some money to go and buy some clothes I would always be very creative. I’d go into the stores and try and match my clothes.
I’ve always tried to make outfits that bit more special and unique. I think it’s my way of expressing myself, because I’m not a big talker, I’m not really expressive in that way, but I am in the way that I dress.
Do you enjoy matching clothes and creating a look then?
Honestly I have a big, big passion for it. I just love everything about it, I love the way people can put their ideas and their vibes through their clothes. I love fashion from all over the world, from Japan, to London, to Italy. I really appreciate the designing part of it and who knows, maybe in the future I can start making some pieces. I have a real passion for it.
How would you describe your style?
I think it’s hard to describe my style in one sentence. It depends on how I’m feeling. Sometimes I’ll dress more street, other times I’ll dress more classy, I have so many different ways that I can express myself, so my style is pretty versatile.
Do you find yourself looking for new brands and new trends now?
I love looking through magazines to see different styles. But I pick up a lot from back in the day from the 80s and 90s. I’ll be watching something like The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and notice how somebody is wearing something and begin to think how I could work with that. I can pick so many things from so many different cultures. I think it’s on my mind in whatever I’m doing, I don’t actively seek out new fashion, but I notice it in everything I do.
A lot of footballers are big into their fashion. Does it become competitive in the changing rooms? Are players trying to keep wearing new trends and brands?
I’m somebody who just tries to do my thing. I’ve always been like this and it’s a huge part of who I am. Everybody has their own style, I’m very particular in what I like and I try to keep it that way. I always have big appreciation for other people’s styles, and I love seeing how other people dress themselves through their own influences.
Most stylish players you’ve seen … any you admired for their style?
I’ve always liked the way David Beckham styles himself, and I grew up with him as the style icon in football so I can’t ignore that. But in terms of other style influencers then I look at ASAP Rocky, Travis Scott, Jerry Lorenzo, there’s a lot of people out there who I take little things from. I take note of things everywhere. For example, even at the hotel I saw a guy wearing a style of trousers and I begin to think that I could wear a style like that, and what I’d wear it with.
As a footballer you’re able to travel often. Are there any place that you’d love to visit?
I love travelling, it’s a huge passion of mine. I have such a long bucket list of places that I want to go to. I’m fascinated by different cultures and I want to see it all, I want to go to India, I want to visit more of Africa, places like Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania. After my career with football I really want to travel all over, whenever you go to new places you’re learning and that’s definitely a huge interest of mine.
Are you always looking out for fashion trends when you’re travelling?
It’s not as if I’m looking out for fashion when I’m travelling, but I think it’s almost built into my subconscious. Things just pop out for me and I find myself being drawn to how people are dressing. I can be just talking to someone and thinking about how I could use this or that from their outfit. It’s not forced, it just comes really naturally to me.
On the subject of late goals... you scored one in the 2014 World Cup at the Maracana against Russia. What was going through your head when you ran off to celebrate that?
Just pure adrenaline! We really needed a goal at that moment to qualify for the next round. It’s such a big occasion, I knew that the King of Belgium was in the stands, I knew that my family were in the stands, I knew that the whole country was watching, and it was only my fourth or fifth game for the national side, but I wasn’t even thinking when I saw the ball go into the goal, but I definitely enjoyed the moment.
When you think back to that goal does it make you hungry for more?
Yeah absolutely. It made me realise what I can achieve with hard work and having faith. It shows that I can achieve great things by staying humble and working hard. I’ve had good and bad times since, but being involved in moments like that is the reward for staying focused.
Football shirts seem to be crossing into more fashionable places at the moment – Drake wearing a Juve shirt, designers opting for more lifestyle looks etc. – do you think fashion is embracing football more?
I think the football world over the past few years is mixing into fashion quite seamlessly. I think social media helps with that, you see other celebrities, from musicians to actors being attached to clubs on social media and that helps football seamlessly glide into other cultures and other industries. You can definitely see it in America. Artists like Drake using football shirts as part of a fashion outfit … football has always been big but I think it’s grown even bigger now. In America wearing a football shirt is a unique thing, it’s like wearing an NBA shirt in Europe, it’s almost mysterious and a cool hype trend.
If we could talk about your faith … how important is that to you?
For me it’s basically who I am. I consider my faith as who I am, I consider my faith as everything that I do. It doesn't mean that I’m perfect, far from it, but it gives me a drive to do better and be the best version of myself knowing that I’m serving bigger. It gives me perspective in life and it gives me purpose. It helps me a lot and especially in the football world.
Do you think that your upbringing with faith has set you up well for the football world?
Yeah I think so. I re-found my faith about a year ago, truly embracing it and truly knowing what it is and I think it changed a lot for me and my whole perspective. I feel like you need to be very stable in this football world, you need to know what you’re doing and where you’re going, because there can be a lot of distractions. You can go a lot of different ways, especially considering the young age of players.
If you go through the motions then you can end up being in a place where you don’t want to be, so for me it helps me put everything in place and gives me direction.
How important is music to you?
Music is crucial to me! It’s a massive passion and a huge part of my life. I’d love to have a future in music, whether that’s producing or something, but it’s something so expressive. Again, I’m not someone who is very expressive with words, so I try to express myself in other ways and music is such a beautiful way to do that.
Who influenced the type of music you were listening to when you were growing up?
My dad used to listen to a lot of African music. Music from Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, so I grew up listening to that, but then I always had my old school R&B, Hip-Hop. A lot of house music was going on in my neighbourhood in my teens, I had so many different influences … I love Michael Jackson, he’s one of my favourite artists.
Honestly, I can listen to every genre and appreciate and enjoy it. I prefer Hip-Hop and R&B, but there are some rock songs or house tracks or musicians like Adele or Bruno Mars which I like to listen to.
Who are some of your favourite artists right now?
At the moment I like J Cole. I love the way you can relate to his album and hear his stories. I love Kendrick Lamar, Future and Drake, as well as Sango, a Brazilian DJ, and DJ Esco, and I love old school R&B and Hip-Hop. But I also listen to some gospel as well, some Christian music too. It’s such a wide range, it really depends what sort of mood I’m in, whether I want to be pumped up or chilled out. Some days I want to be connected to my spirituality so I’ll listen to Hillsong Worship, it really depends.
What would you say are your main goals in life?
I think the more I grow the more I’ll figure that out. But at the moment, for me, it’s just to live to leave a legacy and to inspire people to follow their passion and to know that there is so much more out there than just football. I want to give back to a lot of people, I just want to help others reach their dream, let people know about what I’ve learnt and have joy. Never lose your joy and always aspire to your full potential.
Divock Origi's Liverpool play Burnley away on Wednesday. The reds are beginning to command fresh authority in the Premier League and for a player who has picked up momentum, he'll want to build on that. Styled and suited. This interview was taken from SoccerBible Magazine Issue 11.
