Joel Matip has retired from football at the age of 33 having suffered a serious knee ligament injury last year
When Joel Matip limped off the Anfield sideline against Fulham last December, there were many who feared the worst over what initially looked an innocuous injury. Nobody, though, could have anticipated that would be the last time the hugely popular Liverpool defender ever played professional football.
Matip has confirmed his retirement from playing at the age of 33 after admitting defeat in his attempt to recover from the cruciate ligament tear that brought a revival last campaign to a shuddering and unexpected halt.
And it signalled the premature end of a career that, after seven years with Bundesliga side Schalke, saw him become a cornerstone of Liverpool’s era of success under Jurgen Klopp.
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Indeed, Matip was one of the first signings made by the German, who a few months after his arrival in October 2015 persuaded the defender to move to Anfield when his contract at Schalke expired the follow summer.
Arguably only James Milner can rival Matip as the best free transfer in Liverpool’s history, certainly when it comes to garnering major trophies.
He helped Liverpool back into the Champions League in his first season but in 2017/18 saw his campaign ended early by a hamstring problem that ruled him out of the European Cup final defeat to Real Madrid.
Matip took almost three years to register his first assist with Liverpool, but at least it was worth waiting for – the Cameroonian laying the ball off for Divock Origi to smash into the bottom corner and secure a 2-0 Champions League final win over Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid in June 2019.
That was the first of five trophies claimed by the centre-back. He started the UEFA Super Cup win over Chelsea in August 2019, but was then sidelined for several months with a knee injury that ruled him out of the successful Club World Cup tournament. An ankle injury later ended his season early, but he had made sufficient appearances to claim a Premier League winners’ medal.
The next season was again curtailed prematurely but 2021/22 saw him make his most appearances in a campaign for Liverpool – 43 – while starting the League Cup final win over Chelsea and emerging from the bench in the FA Cup final triumph over the same opposition a few months later.
While an elegant defender, Matip became just as well known for his galloping forays out of the backline into midfield and even further, most notably when venturing all the way into the Leeds United penalty area at Anfield in February 2022 to score a memorable goal.
Away from the action, Matip – a former Cameroon international – was a major character in and around the training ground, massively popular with his team-mates and, over time, acquiring something of a cult status among supporters. Anyone who follows the No Context Joel Matip accounts on social media will attest to that.
When Liverpool posted a tribute to Matip on Instagram on Saturday morning, Virgil van Dijk – his long-time centre-back partner and close friend – was among the first to respond with a heart emoji.
While Matip had long gained a reputation for being injury prone – limiting his contribution over eight years to 201 appearances, 11 goals and six assists – he’d actually only missed 13 games in two-and-half-seasons before his ultimately final setback a few weeks before last Christmas.
The emotional ovation Matip received from both his fellow players and the Anfield crowd on his departure on a free transfer at the end of last season spoke volumes for the affection and the respect in which he is held.
Now Matip has returned to Gelsenkirchen in Germany and was recently helping out coaching with the youth team at local club SSV Buer, for whom his son plays.
And having obtained his UEFA B coaching licence while at Liverpool and last year hosting a coaching session for members of the Robbie Fowler Academy, it won’t be the last the game has seen of Matip. But his retirement has closed another chapter in the Klopp era for Liverpool.
