Liverpool have announced that Joel Matip will depart the club alongside Jurgen Klopp on Sunday.
Matip was one of Klopp’s first signings at Anfield, joining on a free transfer from Schalke in the summer of 2016.
A shy and retiring character, the Cameroonian struggled a little to fully make his mark on the team until the 2018/19 season. From thereon in though, Liverpool saw the very best of Matip.
One of the most popular members of the Liverpool squad, the 32-year-old formed a superb partnership with close friend Virgil van Dijk.
As a key part of the 2019 Champions League winning team, Matip then went on to lift six more trophies with the Reds. He leaves having etched his name into Liverpool history. And with so many great moments to choose from, Klopp has now picked his favourite from Joel’s time at Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp picks his favourite Joel Matip moment
There really have been some great moments from Matip. You don’t play over 200 times for Liverpool and win the trophies that he has without there being.
It must be said that many of the former Schalke defender’s most iconic moments were actually away from the usual goals or big in-game contributions.
Rather, Matip just has a hilarious manner about him. His reactions to incidents in games were often so over the top that they’d instantly go viral.
Matip’s friendship with Van Dijk also birthed so many funny clips over the years. We’ll miss that.
But the No.32 did of course contribute plenty on the pitch as well. And speaking to liverpoolfc.com about the man he spent eight years coaching, Klopp has named an incredibly significant pass as his absolute favourite.
“If I had to choose one moment from his time here it would definitely be his assist for Divock Origi at the Champions League final in Madrid,” says the manager. “This was the touch that detonated an explosion in the LFC family. What a moment. What a player.”
Thank you for everything, Joel Matip
It had long been assumed that Matip would be leaving Liverpool upon the expiration of his contract this summer.
Turning 33 in August, it feels like the right time for the former Cameroon international to move on.
Having said that, before an untimely ACL injury in December, Matip had been having a really good season. With the subsequent issues with Ibrahima Konate’s form, Joel would likely have been a key player for the rest of the campaign. He might have earned a new deal.
Nevertheless, things went against Matip and this, as it turns out, is the end. His final match for Liverpool came during one of the games of the season – December’s 4-3 win over Fulham. It was Joel’s 201st game for the club.
He may not have gotten the plaudits of other members of Klopp’s magnificent Liverpool squad, but Matip more than deserves them. He will quietly go down as one of the Reds best ever defenders of the Premier League era. Thank you for everything Joel, You’ll Never Walk Alone.