He once scored one of Liverpool’s most iconic European goals – but now hasn’t played in over a year

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Liverpool have scored some iconic goals in the Champions League throughout the club’s illustrious history, and that trend continued on Wednesday.

Virgil van Dijk scored a 92nd-minute winner in the 3-2 victory against Atletico Madrid at Anfield after Marcus Llorente’s brace levelled the two-goal deficit.

Despite winning six European Cups throughout their 133-year history, the Reds have notoriously made difficult work for themselves in the competition.

From the comeback against Saint Etienne on the way to winning the 1977 European Cup to the famous second-half comeback in Istanbul against AC Milan in 2005, it is never straightforward when it comes to Liverpool.

And now, a player who has also etched his name in Champions League history at Anfield now finds himself in exile at his current club and has not played senior football in over a year.

AC Milan have exiled Liverpool legend Divock Origi

When supporters think of the 2019 Champions League triumph and the run to the final, they think of Divock Origi.

The 30-year-old, who scored one of the most iconic goals in European history in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s famous ‘corner taken quickly,’ now plies his trade in AC Milan’s B side.

Origi joined Nottingham Forest on loan during the 2023/24 campaign and failed to score a single goal at the City Ground in 20 Premier League appearances.

He left Anfield at the end of his contract the year prior, signing a four-year deal with I Rossoneri. After one season, in which he scored two goals in 36 outings across all competitions, he has not featured at the San Siro since.

Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp still holds the forward in high regard and once apologised for not playing Origi as much as he feels he should have during their time together at Anfield.

Furthermore, Klopp dubbed Origi “one of the best” he has ever coached, and considering the Belgian once resurrected his Reds career after being deemed surplus to requirements and sent on loan to VfL Wolfsburg, it is a shame he has not been granted the opportunity to replicate this feat in Italy.

Divock Origi will forever be a Liverpool legend

Origi notched eight goals for the Reds during the 2018/19 season, and almost every goal he scored had a significant impact on their success that year.

He scored a 96th-minute goal in the Merseyside derby at Anfield, and his 86th-minute goal in a 3-2 win away at Newcastle kept Liverpool in the Premier League title race until the final day.

However, he scored three goals in the Champions League and every one will be remembered by the Reds supporters for a lifetime.

Origi opened and closed the scoring during Liverpool’s 4-0 win against Barcelona at Anfield, which helped the team overturn the three-goal deficit heading into the second leg and secure their place in the final.

The forward then popped up in the 87th minute in Madrid, and after Mohamed Salah’s penalty gave the Reds a 1-0 lead against Tottenham, Origi sealed the sixth European Cup and his name in Liverpool folklore.