Joel Matip, a former defender for Liverpool, has announced his retirement from the NFL.
Matip, who signed with Liverpool in 2016 on a free transfer, has chosen to conclude his 15-year career after leaving Anfield at the end of the previous season without a club.
The 33-year-old began his career at Schalke, where he made 258 appearances in the Bundesliga and assisted the team in winning the 2011 German Super Cup and DFB-Pokal.
Matip joined Liverpool in the same transfer window as Georginio Wijnaldum, Loris Karius, and Sadio Mane, making him one of Jurgen Klopp’s first acquisitions.
In Klopp’s first full season in charge, he made 29 Premier League appearances and kept nine clean sheets, helping the Reds back to the Champions League.
But during his eight years on Merseyside, he suffered 16 separate injuries that plagued him repeatedly, making his time with the Reds short lived.
After sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in the same game against Fulham in December 2023, the former Cameroon international made his final appearance for Liverpool in a 4-3 victory.
Matip played 201 games for Liverpool in all competitions, finishing with 11 goals and six major awards, including the team’s sixth Champions League title.
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