Joel Matip retires: Ex-Liverpool defender announces retirement aged 33
Former Liverpool defender Joel Matip has announced his retirement from football aged 33.
The defender joined the Reds in 2016 from German side Schalke and went on to make 201 appearances for Liverpool, winning five major trophies.
Matip provided an assist in the 2019 Champions League final for Divock Origi’s goal in the 2-0 victory against Tottenham in Madrid, helping Liverpool win their sixth European Cup.
Injuries limited the defender to just nine appearances in Liverpool’s 2019-20 Premier League-winning side, which ended the club’s 30-year wait for a league title.
Matip left Liverpool at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, having sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury which curtailed his final season at the club.
He earned 27 caps for his country and retires as a free agent, having failed to join another club following his departure from Liverpool.
