Why has Joel Matip retired at 33? Liverpool hero's heartbreaking reason behind career ending
Former Liverpool defender Joel Matip has retired from professional soccer following a brutal ACL injury.
Released by Liverpool this past summer following an eight-year spell at Anfield, Matip made 201 appearances for the Reds during his time on Merseyside. The 33-year-old won everything there was to win in club football with the Reds, helping them to the Champions League in 2019, and the Premier League a year later.
However, Matip, who joined Liverpool on a free back in 2016 from Schalke, suffered a nasty anterior cruciate ligament injury last December, which prevented him from playing for the Reds again.
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A statement from Liverpool read: "Former Liverpool defender Joel Matip has confirmed his retirement from football." They added: "Everybody at LFC wishes Joel and his family the very best for the future."
During the Reds dramatic 4-3 win over Fulham in December 2023, Matip ruptured his ACL 20 minutes before full-time. "It's what I unfortunately expected from the first second," said former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp after watching Matip go down. "Everything looked like that. It's very unfortunate."
When it was confirmed Matip would be leaving Liverpool last summer, Klopp also said of the defender: "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."
Earlier this week, it was reported by Ruhr Nachrichten, the Cameroonian defender was considering retirement after having not found a new club this past summer. They also poured cold water on the suggestion he could return to Schalke who play in 2. Bundesliga, calling those reports "crazy rumors".
While it is not the way Matip would have wanted his career to end, the former Liverpool star enjoyed a stellar career. He played a pivotal part under Klopp in the Reds defence alongside Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
And when you consider he was signed by Klopp for nothing and went on to make over 200 appearances for Liverpool at the highest level, Matip's signing goes down as one of the best free agent signings of all-time.
Liverpool.com says: "Matip should be remembered by Reds supporters for the role he played in Klopp's successful Champions League winning Liverpool side. While injuries prevented him from playing a major part during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns, he bounced back magnificently during the 2021/22 season, helping Liverpool to a domestic cup double in the FA and Carabao Cup, a title challenge which saw the Reds finish second behind Manchester City and another Champions League final which they lost to Real Madrid."