Goodbye, Joker Klopp. Orio retired at the age of 31, after failing in Milan.

Goodbye, Joker Klopp. Oriege retired from professional football at the age of 31, after suffering a failure in “Milan”. Oriege officially announced his retirement at the age of 31. For the football community, this was a natural conclusion to a career that began with success in the Champions League and ended with a prolonged decline in performance. The Belgian forward left his mark on the history of “Liverpool”. But his last years in Italy showed that even a cult-like status doesn’t guarantee long-term success at the highest level. Oriege’s peak came during the 2018/19 season. His performance in the semi-finals of the Champions League against Barcelona, and his decisive goal in the final against Tottenham, made him a legend among fans. Fans of “Everton” chanted “Football without Oriege is nothing”. Jürgen Klopp effectively used him as a tactical joker, sending him into critical moments during matches. At that time, Oriege had a rare combination of calmness, physical endurance, and the ability to appear in the penalty area at the right moment. However, modern football is ruthless with players who lose their form. In the summer of 2022, Oriege transferred to “Milan” as a free agent. The Italian club hoped to get a reliable player to strengthen their attack. But reality was different. In his first season, he scored only two goals and made one assist. His contract with “Nottingham Forest” turned into a dead end: zero goals in 20 Premier League matches. Since then, “Rossoneri” have been looking for ways to get rid of him. But the high contract and his status as a key player made it difficult to negotiate. The situation became absurd when Oriege was sent to “Milan Futuro”, a team for players under 23 years old who played in lower leagues. Oriege didn’t even get a chance to play there. He continued to receive a salary of €4 million per year, which was more than what Luka Modric earned at “Real Madrid”. In December 2025, both parties terminated their contract by mutual agreement. Now, the 31-year-old forward has officially retired from football.