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Liverpool's supporters have been fawning over a new picture of Joel Matip after he was enlisted by old club Schalke to promote a new line of jerseys.
Matip was a fans' favorite during his eight years as a Liverpool player, despite missing a hefty chunk of games during his spell at Anfield through injury. The Germany international left Liverpool as a free agent at the end of the 2023-24 season, and a few months later his retirement from the game was officially confirmed.
Matip has kept a low profile since then, and Liverpool's fans were delighted to see a new picture of him to take their minds of the club's current plight.
"Joel Matip making his first public appearance since retiring. He knew we needed this. Just look at him," one X user posted. Another wrote: "Just imagine letting Joel Matip and Bobby Firmino leave. Like having to shoot two puppies in the face."
Rather snidely, a third wrote: "I reckon he’d be better than Konate atm even without a minute of training for 2 years."
Matip ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in December 2023 - the most serious injury of his career - and did not play for Liverpool again.
While Matip enjoyed spells of good form at Anfield, injuries restricted his game time and he missed a total of 140 matches due to various ailments across his eight years at the club.
He was linked with a possible free transfer to West Ham last year, while he also held talks with clubs in France and Germany, but he ultimately made the decision to hang up his boots after a few months out of the game.
Jurgen Klopp praised the defender when it emerged he – like Klopp – would be leaving Anfield at the end of the 2023-24 season. "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. "I’m not even sure it would be possible to say anything bad about him."
Matip himself said: “It has been eight wonderful years here in Liverpool. I was allowed to be part of an exciting history with a great coach and an astonishing team in an extraordinary club. We have achieved great titles and have the best fans in the world."
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