Arnold Otieno Origi (born 15 November 1983) is a Kenyan professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

er who plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for Hødd in the Norwegian

2. divisjon The Norwegian Second Division, also called 2. divisjon and often referred to as PostNord-ligaen for sponsorship reasons, is the third-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. There are 28 teams divided into two groups, and at the ...

. He is one of the most successful keepers in Kenya, and the only Kenyan goalkeeper to play in Europe for more than 15 years.

Career

Club

Origi played for

Mathare United Mathare United Football Club is a professional association football club, based in Nairobi, Kenya. They currently compete in the Kenyan Premier League, the top tier of the Kenyan football league system, and won their first league title during the ...

and Tusker in his home country before joining

Moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

, where fellow Kenyan

John Muiruri John Machethe "Mo" Muiruri (born 10 October 1979) is a Kenyan footballer who played for Moss FK in Norway as a midfielder. He was known for his close ball control and ability to dribble the ball. He is one of the most talented midfield quartet o ...

was already playing. After a short loan spell with

Fredrikstad Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a city and municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Fredrikstad. The city of Fredrikstad was founded in 15 ...

, and a brief stop at Ull/Kisa he joined

Lillestrøm Lillestrøm is a municipality in Viken county. It is located in the traditional district of Romerike. With a population of 85,757 inhabitants, it is the fourth most populated municipality in Viken. It was founded on 1 January 2020 as a merger be ...

in 2013. In January 2018, Origi was taken on trial by

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

club Crystal Palace, but failed to gain a contract. As a consequence of Origi's trial at the British club, Lillestrøm had already found a replacement for him,

Matvei Igonen Matvei Igonen (born 2 October 1996) is an Estonian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for the Estonia national team. Club career FCI Tallinn Igonen made his Meistriliiga debut on 16 March 2013, in a 1–1 draw against Flora. Lil ...

. Therefore Origi and the club mutually agreed to terminate his contract so he could still find a new club after the transfer window closed. After signing with

Kongsvinger Kongsvinger () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger. Other settlements in the municipality include Aust ...

in September 2018, he left the club again at the end of the year.

International

Origi has played 45 international matches for

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

(as of February 6, 2018). On 23 August 2017, it was announced that Origi acquired Norwegian citizenship.

Personal life

Origi comes from a football family. His uncle

Mike Origi Michael Okoth Origi (born 16 November 1967) is a Kenyan retired footballer. Initially playing as a goalkeeper he converted to a striker at Shabana, a position that he would feature in for both club and country. He spent most of his professional ...

was a professional footballer in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. His father, Austin Oduor Origi, was a long term captain of Kenyan Premier League side

Gor Mahia Gor Mahia Football Club (), commonly also known as ''K'Ogalo'' (), is a football club based in Nairobi, Kenya. They have won the Kenyan Premier League a record 19 times, and have also won the FKF President's Cup a record 11 times. They are the o ...

, and his other uncles Gerald and Anthony were defenders at Tusker. His uncle Divock plays for AC Milan in Italy's

Seria A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsor (commercial), sponsorship with Gruppo TIM, TIM, is a professional league competition for Association football, football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system ...

as well as the Belgium national team.

Career statistics

Club

International

''Statistics accurate as of match played 6 September 2015''

Honors

LIllestrøm Sk

Norwegian Cup The Norwegian Football Cup ( no, Norgesmesterskapet i fotball for herrer) is the main knockout cup competition in Norwegian football. It is run by the Football Association of Norway and has been contested since 1902, making it the oldest football ...

: **Winners ::2017 Individual * Lillestrøm Sk player of the Year 2015

References

External links

Origi joins Fredrikstad on loan from FK Moss
Michezo Afrika
Futaa
– Kenyan Football Portal
Club bio
* 1983 births Living people Kenyan footballers Norwegian footballers Kenya international footballers Tusker F.C. players Mathare United F.C. players Moss FK players Fredrikstad FK players Ullensaker/Kisa IL players Lillestrøm SK players Sandnes Ulf players Kongsvinger IL Toppfotball players HIFK Fotboll players Eliteserien players Norwegian First Division players Norwegian Second Division players Association football goalkeepers {{Kenya-footy-bio-stub