Liverpool forward Divock Origi has named the player he looked up to growing up - and it's his Belgian compatriot, Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne, who Origi singles out ashis'inspiration' when he was younger.
The 21-year-old Belgium international grew up near his Red Devils teammate, and told theMailthat De Bruyne's rise through the ranks at Genk pushed him to work harder, adding that he may swap shirts with the 25-year-old Manchester City star when the two sides square off on Saturday.
Divock Origi: Back garden football with De Bruyne, guidance from Thierry Henry & the aim of being a @LFC great https://t.co/S4yQKj2tj6
Origi explained: "There would be three or four other kids involved. Wednesday was always our day. On a Wednesday in Belgium, you have a half-day in school. You finish at 12 and then we would train at 6pm. We would just play football, over and over.
"Kevin is four years older than me. I saw him breaking through into the first team and he gave me inspiration. The digs where he lived were 600 metres from me. I had a very big garden with a goal in my house, I would tell him and a few others to come over. You could see the skill then.
"The (50-yard) pass you saw the other day when they played Arsenal? He used to do that all the time when we were kids. That's Kevin. He is a calm guy but he is a winner. I know his qualities and I know how dangerous he can be. Will I get his shirt afterwards? It depends on the game."
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As he's evolved as a player, though, Origi has taken on board inspiration from a whole number of different sources, adding: "I have read about all the strikers (Ian) Rush, Owen, Fowler, Suarez, Torres “ it's my wish to be like them."
He explained: "Every striker has qualities. Look at the aggression of (Diego) Costa; the runs that (Edinson) Cavani makes. The finishing of (Harry) Kane. Even from the young guys who are coming up. You have to be open to learn from everybody. I analyse my game a lot. I watch my clips on my iPad.
"I look at all the striker here. Daniel (Sturridge) has a lot of finishing skills, so maybe that makes people not think about his passing skills. But he has got a lot of passing skills. A lot. He can eliminate a defender and put a striker through on goal. Nearly every time I play with Daniel, I enjoy my game."
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