Former Liverpool defender Joel Matip has announced his retirement from football.
Matip left Anfield last season following an eight-year spell during which he claimed five major honours and was a hugely popular figure with teammates and fans alike.
The Cameroon international made 201 appearances in all competitions after joining on a free transfer from Schalke but featured just 14 times in the previous campaign.
Injuries regularly restricted Matip with a knee injury sustained during last December’s seven-goal thriller with Fulham proving to be his final appearance for the Reds.
Jurgen Klopp paid a glowing tribute to Matip when it was confirmed that he would be leaving the club in May alongside his former manager’s own planned departure.
“In all the years that I have been involved in football, I am not sure I have come across too many players who are more loved than Joel Matip,” Klopp said at the time.
“I’m not even sure it would be possible to say anything bad about him. A wonderful professional, a wonderful footballer and a wonderful human being.
“We have been blessed to have him with us for as long as we have. Joel’s qualities as a player are there for all to see and as a club, we have benefited from them since the moment he joined.
“I don’t think he’s had too many headlines over the years but he has only ever been a very famous figure within our group.
“I have said before that if there was one person who wouldn’t care if he was underrated it would be Joel, but the truth is we could not have rated him more highly.”
The 33-year-old announced on Saturday that, now a free agent, he will finally be hanging up his boots.