Players - Joël Matip

Joël Matip
Birthdate: 8 August 1991
Birthplace: Bochum, Germany
Nationality: Cameroon
Other clubs: Schalke 04 (2009-16)
Signed from: Free transfer
Signed for LFC: 01.07.2016
International debut: 03.03.2010 vs. Italy
International caps: 27/1 - 06.09.2015
Liverpool debut: 23.08.2016
Last appearance: 03.12.2023
Debut goal: 29.10.2016
Last goal: 26.04.2023
Contract expiry: 30.06.2024 (signed 18 October 2019)
Win ratio: 63.18% W:127 D:46 L:28
Honours: Champions League 2019, European Super Cup 2019, Premier League 2019/20, League Cup 2022, FA Cup 2022
League games / goals / assists: 150 / 9 / 5
Total games / goals / assists: 201 / 11 / 6

Player Profile

Born in Germany to a Cameroonian father and German mother, Joël Matip joined Schalke 04's youth system when he was just nine years old. He made his Bundesliga debut in 2009 and was a regular in the second half of that 2009/10 season, scoring three times in twenty appearances. Matip was part of a squad that made the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2010/11, making six appearances. The previous summer he had appeared for Cameroon in the World Cup at the age of just eighteen and was also called up to the squad in 2014. Matip's strength in the air and pace were key reasons why Jurgen Klopp moved to sign him on a pre-contract agreement in February 2016.

He first appeared for the Reds in the opening pre-season game at Tranmere on 8 July. Matip was a regular for his first season with the Reds, but injury and the arrival of Virgil Van Dijk in January 2018 led to him losing out to Dejan Lovren for the remainder of the campaign. Even though Lovren returned from the Word Cup with an injury, Joe Gomez was preferred to partner Van Dijk for the opening five games of 2018-19. Matip did start the sixth, however, scoring in a 3-0 win over Southampton. Appearances were sporadic and he was ruled out of the Christmas period with a fractured collarbone. However, injuries to Gomez and Lovren allowed him to reclaim the centre-back spot in January 2019 and he retained it for the rest of the season. His passing ability and comfortableness in bringing the ball forward out of defence were key factors in this, and in the Champions League final he teed up Divock Origi for the crucial second goal. Matip's excellent performances for Liverpool were rewarded with a new five-year contract in October 2019.
 
Matip was Van Dijk's partner in the centre of Liverpool defence as the 2019/20 campaign started. A knee injury suffered against Sheffield United on 28 September sidelined him for a month. He returned against Manchester United but suffered an immediate setback and was out for further three months. Matip couldn't reclaim his place from Joe Gomez but was a starter in the goalless draw against Everton when the league resumed after the suspension of season. Matip limped off after a challenge by Richarlison in the second half and missed the final part of the title-winning season. 

2020/21 was another frustrating season for Matip. In the first half of the season he had three different injuries - thigh, back and groin. An ankle injury sustained at Tottenham on 28th January then ended his season, which had been limited to just nine starts. He was back for the start of the 2021/22 campaign and was selected to partner Virgil van Dijk for the season's opening game at Norwich. For most of the campaign he was the preferred partner for van Dijk in the Premier League, but Konate was preferred for the Champions League meaning he was an unused substitute in the final against Real Madrid. In 2022/23 Matip's appearances were limited to just twelve league starts with Konate/van Dijk being Klopp's preferred central defensive pairing.
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 150 5 10 34 2 201
2016-2017 29 0 3 0 0 32
2017-2018 25 2 0 8 0 35
2018-2019 22 0 1 8 0 31
2019-2020 9 1 0 2 1 13
2020-2021 10 0 0 2 0 12
2021-2022 31 1 4 7 0 43
2022-2023 14 1 1 4 1 21
2023-2024 10 0 1 3 0 14
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
11 930 Chelsea
10 833 Manchester City
10 812 Leicester City
10 736 Everton
10 688 Tottenham
9 810 Southampton
9 720 West Ham United
9 720 Burnley
9 641 Arsenal
8 720 Crystal Palace
8 630 Watford
7 630 Wolves
6 439 Newcastle United
5 450 Manchester United
5 376 Porto
5 323 Brighton & Hove Albion
4 360 Aston Villa
4 330 WBA
4 314 Brentford
4 295 Fulham
4 295 Bournemouth
4 270 Swansea City
3 224 Napoli
3 181 Leeds United
2 180 Huddersfield Town
2 180 Norwich City
2 180 Stoke City
2 180 Hull City
2 180 Barcelona
2 180 Bayern Munich
2 180 Ajax
2 180 Hoffenheim
2 180 NK Maribor
2 180 Atletico Madrid
2 180 Toulouse
1 90 Sevilla
1 90 Benfica
1 90 Spartak Moscow
1 90 Burton Albion
1 90 Rangers
1 90 AC Milan
1 90 Inter Milan
1 90 Red Star Belgrade
1 90 Sheffield United
1 90 Middlesbrough
1 90 Derby
1 90 Sunderland
1 90 Cardiff City
1 84 Atalanta
1 79 Shrewsbury Town
1 46 Preston North End
1 17 Real Madrid
1 9 LASK
Total Started/substitutions
180 Started
67 On the bench
21 Substitute
15 Substituted
Total Venue
102 Away
94 Home
5 Neutral
Total Competition
150 Premier League
30 Champions League
10 League Cup
5 FA Cup
3 Europa League
2 Community Shield
1 European Super Cup
Total W D L Win % Manager
201 127 46 28 63.2% Jürgen Klopp
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 9 0 0 1 1 11
2016-2017 1 0 0 0 0 1
2017-2018 1 0 0 0 0 1
2018-2019 1 0 0 0 0 1
2019-2020 1 0 0 0 1 2
2020-2021 1 0 0 0 0 1
2021-2022 3 0 0 0 0 3
2022-2023 1 0 0 1 0 2
2023-2024 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Total Started/substitutions
10 Started
1 Substitute
Total Competition
9 Premier League
1 Champions League
1 Community Shield
Total Goal minute period
1 1-15 minutes
3 16-30 minutes
2 31-45 minutes
3 61-75 minutes
2 76-90 minutes
Total Goal origin
11 Open play
Assists per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 5 0 0 1 0 6
2016-2017 0 0 0 0 0 0
2017-2018 0 0 0 0 0 0
2018-2019 0 0 0 1 0 1
2019-2020 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020-2021 2 0 0 0 0 2
2021-2022 3 0 0 0 0 3
2022-2023 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-2024 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's assists
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 23.08.2016 Burton Albion Pirelli Stadium League Cup
50 25.11.2017 Chelsea Anfield League
100 14.08.2019 Chelsea Besiktas Park Europe
150 13.02.2022 Burnley Turf Moor League
200 25.11.2023 Manchester City Etihad Stadium League
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 44 29.10.2016 Crystal Palace Selhurst Park League
Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Schalke 04 II 2009-2010 Germany 4 3 1 3 1
Schalke 04 2009-2010 Germany 1 20 3 22 3
Schalke 04 2010-2011 Germany 1 26 0 42 1
Schalke 04 II 2010-2011 Germany 4 1 0 1 0
Schalke 04 2011-2012 Germany 1 30 3 47 5
Schalke 04 2012-2013 Germany 1 32 3 39 3
Schalke 04 2013-2014 Germany 1 31 3 42 4
Schalke 04 2014-2015 Germany 1 21 2 25 3
Schalke 04 2015-2016 Germany 1 34 3 41 4
Total 198 18 262 24