Former Liverpool goalkeeper Lawrence Vigoroux turned out to be one of Leyton Orient’s very best signings.
Vigoroux joined the O’s in January 2020 and left as a club legend in the summer of 2023.
He was integral to Orient’s long-awaited return to League One and will always be welcome at the Gaughan Group Stadium.
Raised in London, Vigoroux played for both Brentford and Tottenham’s academies before joining Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool in 2014.
The Chilean was rated highly by the Merseyside club and often started for the under-21 team ahead of current Wales international Danny Ward.
He was then sent on loan to League One side Swindon Town for the 2015-16 season, where he found himself in trouble within a matter of weeks.
Vigoroux reportedly paid a £50 fine (for turning up late to training) in pennies, prompting the Robins to send him back to Liverpool.
However, he soon returned to the County Ground after apologising for his mistake and went on to have an impressive debut campaign.
Ahead of the next season, he signed for Swindon on a permanent basis for a fee in the region of £400,000.
He saw out his three-year contract at the Wiltshire club, excelling in spite of further disciplinary issues, before moving to Chile to sign for Everton de Viña del Mar.
The 30-year-old failed to make a single appearance in six months due to social unrest in the country and joined Orient in January 2020 on a free transfer.
Vigoroux played just six games for the O’s before the 2020-21 League Two season was suspended due to the pandemic.
It was the following year that his Orient career took off, winning his first of three consecutive Player of the Season awards as the East London club finished in 11th place.
The club fared similarly in 2021-22, ending up in 13th after an 11-game winless run saw Kenny Jackett lose his job.
The fault for either of those disappointing campaigns could not be placed at the feet of Vigoroux, however, who regularly stood out in an underwhelming side.
Having said that, it was an unlikely reunion with former Swindon boss Richie Wellens that saw him produce his best form in an O’s shirt.
Scoring the same number of goals (61) as 10th-place Swindon, their success was in large part due to their defensive record.
Wellens’ side conceded just 34 goals and the ex-Liverpool man kept an outstanding 24 clean sheets – over half of the games played.
And, not only was he an exceptional player, but “a great person to have in and around the dressing room,” according to Director of Football Martin Ling.
It came as no surprise to see him linked with clubs higher up the football pyramid and he ultimately decided to join Premier League-bound Burnley on a free transfer last summer.
Having played 152 times in all competitions, Vigoroux left the Gaughan Group Stadium as a Leyton Orient legend, and with the best wishes of everyone connected to the club.
Bringing the shot-stopper in on a free transfer proved to be a masterful bit of business by the O’s, a moment of sheer genius that
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