Joël Matip facts for kids
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Matip warming up for Liverpool in 2022
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 8 August 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Bochum, Germany | ||
| Height | 1.95 m | ||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–1997 | SC Weitmar 45 | ||
| 1997–2000 | VfL Bochum | ||
| 2000–2009 | Schalke 04 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2009–2011 | Schalke 04 II | 4 | (1) |
| 2009–2016 | Schalke 04 | 194 | (17) |
| 2016–2024 | Liverpool | 150 | (9) |
| Total | 348 | (27) | |
| National team | |||
| 2010–2015 | Cameroon | 27 | (1) |
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Joël Matip (born on August 8, 1991) is a former professional footballer. He played as a centre-back, which is a defensive position in the middle of the field.
Matip started his career with Schalke 04 in 2009. While there, he helped his team win the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup in 2011. He played 258 games and scored 23 goals for Schalke.
In 2016, he moved to Liverpool for free. At Liverpool, he won the UEFA Champions League in 2019. He also helped Liverpool win the 2019 UEFA Super Cup and the 2019–20 Premier League.
Even though he was born in Germany, Matip played for the Cameroon international team. He played in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cups in 2010 and 2014. He stopped playing for Cameroon in 2015.
Contents
Joël Matip's Club Career Highlights
Starting Out: Early Football Years
Joël Matip began his football journey at a club called SC Weitmar 45. In 1997, he joined VfL Bochum's youth teams. After three years there, Schalke 04 noticed his talent in July 2000 and signed him.
Playing for Schalke 04
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Matip played his first professional game on October 27, 2009. This was for Schalke 04 II, their reserve team. Soon after, on November 7, 2009, he made his main team debut in the Bundesliga. This was against Bayern Munich. He scored a goal that tied the game and was named the best player of the match.
After this great start, Matip became a regular player for Schalke. He played as a defensive midfielder for the rest of the 2009–10 season. He scored two more goals that season. In March 2010, he signed a new contract with Schalke 04.
In the 2010–11 season, Matip played his first game in the UEFA Champions League. Schalke reached the semi-finals of this big competition for the first time ever. On April 5, 2011, he scored his first Champions League goal. This was in a 5–2 win against Inter Milan. On May 21, 2011, Matip came on as a substitute in the 2011 DFB-Pokal Final. Schalke won this cup final 5–0.
On February 23, 2013, Matip scored two goals in a 2–1 win against Fortuna Düsseldorf. This was an important victory for Schalke.
Moving to Liverpool Football Club
First Season at Liverpool: 2016–17
On February 15, 2016, Matip announced he would join Liverpool. He moved for free after his contract with Schalke ended. He played his first game for Liverpool on August 23, 2016. It was a 5–0 win against Burton Albion in the 2016–17 EFL Cup.
He scored his first goal for Liverpool on October 29, 2016. This was in a 4–2 Premier League win against Crystal Palace. Matip was chosen as Liverpool's Player of the Month for November.
In January 2017, Matip could not play in a game against Manchester United. This was because there was confusion about whether he could play club football during the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. Despite this, Matip was seen as a very important player. He helped make Liverpool's defense much stronger that season.
Liverpool Success: 2017–2019
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On October 1, 2017, some people criticized Matip's performance against Newcastle United. They thought he was at fault for Newcastle's goal. On November 4, Matip scored his first goal of the 2017–18 season. It was in a 4–1 win against West Ham United. On January 27, 2018, Matip scored an own goal in a 3–2 loss to West Bromwich Albion.
On March 31, Matip got a thigh injury during a game. Liverpool announced he needed surgery and would miss the rest of the season.
Matip had another muscle injury in July 2018. However, he recovered and was a substitute in a win against Crystal Palace. On December 13, Matip broke his collarbone after a win against Napoli. This injury made him miss six more weeks of games.
Despite interest from other clubs, Matip stayed at Liverpool. He became a regular starter for the team. On June 1, 2019, Matip helped set up a goal in the 2019 UEFA Champions League final. Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 to win the Champions League title!
Injuries and Trophies: 2019–2024
On August 4, 2019, Matip scored a goal for Liverpool in the 2019 FA Community Shield. Liverpool lost that game on penalties. He scored his first Premier League goal of the season on August 24. This was in a 3–1 win against Arsenal. On October 18, 2019, he signed a new contract with Liverpool until June 2024.
The 2019–20 season was tough for Matip due to many injuries. Another player, Joe Gomez, often played in his place. Matip's first injury that season was in October 2019. He returned in January 2020, but then got injured again in June 2020. This meant he missed the rest of that season.
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On January 28, 2021, Matip had to leave a game early because of an ankle injury. This injury meant he would miss the rest of the 2020–21 season. On February 23, 2022, Matip scored his first goal of the 2021–22 season. It was in a big 6–0 win against Leeds United. He was even named Premier League Player of the Month for February!
Liverpool had a great season in 2021–22. They won both the EFL Cup and the FA Cup. They just missed out on winning the Premier League and Champions League.
On September 13, 2022, Matip scored his first Champions League goal for Liverpool. It was a late header in a 2–1 win against Ajax. On December 3, 2023, Matip got a serious ACL injury. This meant he would miss the rest of the 2023–24 season. On May 17, 2024, it was announced that he would leave Liverpool when his contract ended.
On October 12, 2024, Joël Matip announced he was retiring from professional football at age 33.
Joël Matip's International Career
Matip was asked to play for Cameroon in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. However, he decided not to go. On March 2, 2010, when he was 18, Matip chose to play for Cameroon. He met with the team before a friendly game against Italy. He played his first game against Italy and then played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup for Cameroon.
He was also part of the Cameroon team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played two games and scored a goal against the host team, Brazil. This was Cameroon's only goal in that tournament.
In January 2017, Matip was chosen for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. But he refused the call-up. It was later explained that Matip had already retired from the national team when he was at Schalke. However, he hadn't told the Cameroonian Football Association in the right way. This caused some confusion with FIFA. Because of this, Matip could not play for Liverpool for a short time. He missed a Premier League game and an FA Cup game. Matip said he retired because he was not happy with how the national team was run and his experiences with the coaches.
Joël Matip's Style of Play
Matip was known for being a strong and smart player. He was good at dribbling the ball up the field. This helped his team create attacking chances.
Joël Matip's Personal Life
Joël Matip was born in Bochum, Germany. His mother is German, and his father, Jean Matip, was a Cameroonian footballer. He has a brother named Marvin Matip, who also played for Cameroon. He is also a cousin of another footballer, Joseph-Désiré Job. He went to a school called Gesamtschule Berger Feld.
He married his long-time partner, Larissa Stollenwerk, after Liverpool won the Premier League in 2020. In June 2021, they had their first child, a son.
Joël Matip's Achievements and Honours
Schalke 04
- DFB-Pokal: 2010–11
- DFL-Supercup: 2011
Liverpool
- Premier League: 2019–20
- FA Cup: 2021–22
- EFL Cup: 2021–22
- FA Community Shield: 2022
- UEFA Champions League: 2018–19; runner-up: 2021–22
- UEFA Super Cup: 2019
Individual Awards
- PFA Player of the Month: September 2019
- Premier League Player of the Month: February 2022
- CAF Team of the Year: 2019
See also
In Spanish: Joel Matip para niños
