NewsLiverpool's Greatest - No.72: Joel Matip
Years: 2016-2024
Appearances: 201
Goals: 11
Trophies: Champions League (2019), UEFA Super Cup (2019), Premier League (2019-20), League Cup (2022), FA Cup (2022)
Joel Matip won practically the lot during an eight-year spell at Liverpool in which he also quietly earned admiration and appreciation.
An astute free-transfer signing from Schalke in 2016, the centre-back possessed a mix of physical attributes and footballing class.
He featured almost 100 times across his first three seasons with the Reds as, under Jürgen Klopp, they reasserted themselves at home and abroad.
A return to Champions League qualification was followed by an appearance in the 2018 final, before in the next campaign Liverpool narrowly missed out on the Premier League title and lifted the European Cup.
Matip was a constant throughout the Reds’ run to Madrid and concluded the showpiece against Tottenham Hotspur with a clean sheet, an assist, and a winner’s medal around his neck.
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Watch on YouTubeLeague championship joy followed in 2019-20, though injuries denied him the opportunity to contribute more often during that season and the one after.
He returned to regular fitness – and high-class performance – in 2021-22 to help Liverpool attempt a quadruple, with success in the FA Cup and League Cup alongside runner-up finishes in the top flight and Champions League.
Frequently dovetailing with Virgil van Dijk at the back, Matip’s marauding runs and quirky character made him a fan favourite too.
Fitness setbacks would sadly curtail the final phases of his time at the club, though he departed with more than 200 appearances and plenty of memories.
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