Liverpool cult hero Joel Matip confirms retirement from football after Anfield exit

Former Liverpool defender Joel Matip has announced his retirement from football after his departure from Anfield this summer.

Matip arrived from German club Schalke in 2016 and went on to make 201 appearances during his eight-year spell with the Reds.

The Cameroonian won five major trophies whilst the club, including the Champions League and Premier League in successive seasons.

Matip was known for his rangy figure and confidence in bringing the ball out of defence and achieved cult status for his hugely successful centre-back partnership with Virgil van Dijk.

However, he was limited to just nine appearances in his final season having suffered a crucial ligament injury against Fulham in December 2023.

And after leaving the club following the expiration of his contract, Matip has now retired, following in the footsteps of Thiago Alcantara who also hung up his boots this summer after leaving the club.

Jurgen Klopp, who also left Anfield after nine years at the helm, paid tribute to Matip when the defender’s departure from Liverpool was first confirmed.

‘In all the years that I have been involved in football, I am not sure I have come across too many players who are more loved than Joel Matip,’ the German said.

‘I’m not even sure it would be possible to say anything bad about him. A wonderful professional, a wonderful footballer and a wonderful human being – we have been blessed to have him with us for as long as we have.

‘Joel’s qualities as a player are there for all to see and as a club, we have benefited from them since the moment he joined.

‘I don’t think he’s had too many headlines over the years but he has only ever been a very famous figure within our group.

‘I have said before that if there was one person who wouldn’t care if he was underrated it would be Joël, but the truth is we could not have rated him more highly.’

Prior to joining Liverpool, Matip made 258 appearances for Schalke, helping the side win the DFB Pokal and German Super Cup.

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