Former Liverpool defender Joel Matip has announced his retirement from professional football.
Matip left Liverpool in the summer following the expiry of his contract after spending eight hugely successful years on Merseyside.
The 33-year-old suffered an anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] injury on his last appearance for Liverpool against Fulham in December 2023 and has not played competitively since.
Matip joined Liverpool as a free agent after leaving German club Schalke in the summer of 2016, with manager Jurgen Klopp going on to hail the signing as one of his best ever.
“In a world of big transfer fees, to sign a player like Joel Matip on a free transfer is incredible,” said Klopp back in 2019. “It was maybe one of the best pieces of business we did in the last few years.”
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Matip went on to make 201 appearances for Liverpool, including 150 in the Premier League, winning every domestic trophy he possibly could with the Reds, including helping the club end their 30-year wait for a top-flight title in 2019-20.
Matip also played a key role as Liverpool enjoyed Champions League success in 2019, assisting Divock Origi for the Reds’ second goal in their 2-0 win over Tottenham in Madrid.
The centre-back did suffer several injury setbacks during his time at Anfield, missing large chunks of both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns, before returning to full fitness to play an integral role as Liverpool went close to winning an historic quadruple in the 2021-22 season.
Matip featured in 43 matches in all competitions that campaign, his most in a season for the club, playing in the League and FA Cup wins against Chelsea at Wembley, before injury struck once again last season to bring down the curtain on his glittering eight-year Reds career.
A statement published on Liverpool’s website read: “Everybody at LFC wishes Joel and his family the very best for the future.”
Born in Germany, Matip represented Cameroon on the international stage, making 27 appearances and featuring at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
‘Matip was both a cult figure and a hugely-respected defender at Liverpool’
Analysis by Sky Sports’ Richard Morgan:
“Joel Matip will go down as one of the most under-rated central defenders in Premier League history after his decision to hang up his boots, with Jurgen Klopp calling him one of the best signings he ever made.
“The lanky, German-born defender is only 33, but it seems all the injuries – and boy there were a lot during his eight years at Anfield – have finally caught up with him, despite there being some reports over the summer that he may take on one more Premier League assignment before calling it quits.
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“Matip won every single trophy, apart from the Europa League, while at Liverpool and it says everything about how highly he was regarded at the club that, when fit, he was always chosen to partner Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the Reds’ back line in over 200 games in all competitions.
“Mixed in with his rock-solid defending were touches of skill, whether it be bringing the ball out of defence, which he loved to do, or when setting up team-mates for goals as he did so memorably with a subtle flick for Divock Origi to help kill off Spurs to win the 2019 Champions League final at the Wanda Metropolitano.
“Liverpool fans view the former Cameroon international in cult-like status because of his wacky goal celebrations and his slightly awkward gait, but that does not mean he was not also a hugely admired and respected player at Anfield.”
Source : Sky Sports
