Joel Matip, the former Liverpool defender, has announced his retirement from professional football.
The central defender left the Reds after an eight-year tenure that saw him make 201 appearances and win several major titles with the team.
Matip, who joined on a free transfer from Schalke 04 in 2016, played a pivotal role during Jürgen Klopp's tenure as manager, contributing to Liverpool's Champions League success and providing an assist for Divock Origi in the 2019 final against Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid.
He was instrumental as Liverpool claimed the UEFA Super Cup and participated in nine Premier League matches in the 2019-20 season when Klopp's squad ended the club's 30-year drought for the English championship.
Following a significant injury that interrupted his 2020-21 season, the former Cameroon international regained top form as Liverpool pursued a quadruple the next year.
Wearing the number 32, Matip played in 43 matches—the highest in a single season for him at the club—and took part in both the Carabao Cup and Emirates FA Cup finals, which Liverpool won at Wembley. Additionally, he was part of the team that finished second in both the Premier League and the Champions League.
Despite being a key player for the squad in the 2022-23 season and the start of 2023-24, a devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury in December last year ended his ability to play for the club.
Matip bid farewell to the fans at Anfield on the last day of the previous season before his contract expired, and he has now confirmed the end of his playing days.
Before joining Liverpool, he had a seven-year stint with Schalke's senior team, having come up through their youth system, and won the German Cup with them in 2011.
On the international stage, Matip earned 27 caps and scored once for Cameroon, participating in the World Cups of 2010 and 2014.
