In an official announcement on Saturday morning, Liverpool FC confirmed that Joel Matip has retired from professional football.
The 33-year-old left Anfield at the end of last season after eight years at the club, during which he made 201 appearances and won a glut of major trophies, including the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Club World Cup, among others.
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The news of Matip’s retirement was confirmed on LFC’s official website this morning, with the Reds’ 4-3 win over Fulham last December ultimately proving to be the final match of his career as he missed the remainder of the campaign due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The former Cameroon international had unfortunately been troubled by injuries throughout his time at Liverpool, but that didn’t preclude him from becoming an instrumental figure during Jurgen Klopp’s glorious Anfield reign.
He netted 11 goals in his double century of appearances for the Reds, including a late winner against Ajax in the Champions League two years ago and the decisive strike in our victory at West Ham towards the end of 2022/23.
He also claimed the assist for Divock Origi’s goal to clinch our sixth European Cup when we beat Tottenham in Madrid in 2019.
Famed for his adventurous dribbles well beyond the defensive third of the pitch, Matip proved to be an enormously successful free transfer from Schalke 04 in 2016, going on to play a pivotal role in the Klopp era at Liverpool.
It’s a massive shame that he’s felt compelled to end his playing career at just 33 years of age, just as Thiago Alcantara did three months ago, but the Cameroonian can look back on a hugely rewarding time at Anfield, where he’ll forever be assured a warm welcome back for any future visits.
Everyone at Empire of the Kop wishes him the very best with whatever is next in store for a man who Klopp rightly dubbed ‘a wonderful professional, a wonderful footballer and a wonderful human being’.
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