Divock Origi once scored the winning goal for Liverpool in a Champions League final against Spurs, but he's now ditched the pitch for education after his career ended with a whimper

Former Liverpool striker Divock Origi has swapped football boots for the lecture theatre after enrolling at Harvard University just months after calling time on his playing career. The 31-year-old Belgian, who etched his name into Anfield folklore under Jurgen Klopp, hung up his boots in June following the end of his contract with AC Milan.

Rather than moving straight into coaching or punditry, the Champions League winner has relocated to the United States to study at the prestigious Harvard Business School in Massachusetts. Origi has joined the university's Crossover Into Business scheme, a one-term course alongside its Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports studies designed to help professional athletes transition into executive careers away from competitive sport.

Pictures shared from the Ivy League campus show the former forward seated in a lecture hall in front of a nameplate bearing his name as he prepares for life after football.

High on the agenda for his post-playing career is a move into the fashion industry, as well as expanding his footprint in player representation. Origi is already developing a football agency, DLF Sports, alongside business partner Marvin William Ofori, while simultaneously looking to build his own brand in the fashion world.

Speaking previously about his passion away from the pitch, Origi explained: "I'm really committed to practising fashion as a craft." He has also spoken of immersing himself in the history of the industry to understand how the business operates from the ground up.

Despite walking away from the game at just 31, Origi leaves behind a trophy-laden legacy on Merseyside. Signed from Lille in 2014, he spent eight years on Liverpool's books and earned 32 caps for Belgium. While never a regular first-choice starter, his knack for scoring decisive, dramatic goals made him an adored figure among the Kop.

His finest hour came during the club's 2019 Champions League triumph, when he scored twice in the historic 4-0 semi-final comeback victory over Barcelona, including the famous quick corner taken by Trent Alexander-Arnold, before netting the clinching second goal in the final against Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid.

He also famously scored a 96th-minute Merseyside derby winner against Everton and went on to lift the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup during his time at Anfield.

His departure from Merseyside in 2022 proved to be the beginning of a difficult final chapter on the pitch. After joining AC Milan on a free transfer, he struggled for fitness and form in Serie A, scoring just twice in 36 appearances before a quiet loan spell back in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest during the 2023/24 campaign.

Frozen out of the first-team picture upon his return to the San Siro and relegated to training with the club's youth side, Milan Futuro, Origi saw out the remainder of his contract in Italy before quietly retiring in the summer to focus full-time on his academic and entrepreneurial ambitions.