Joel Matip embarrassed Ibrahima Konate at Liverpool and summed up exactly who he is

If anyone is relieved to see the back of Joel Matip it may be former Liverpool team-mate Ibrahima Konate. When Konate arrived at Anfield from RB Leipzig in a £36million deal in the summer of 2021, he was expected to be the man to dislodge Matip from the back-line.

Matip, 33, was a steadfast fixture in Liverpool for eight years, having been one of Jurgen Klopp’s initial signings from Schalke. While Virgil van Dijk may have filled the gap in the Reds’ defence, Matip was Klopp’s original defensive general.

After parting ways with Liverpool at the end of his contract following an injury-plagued final season, Matip held talks with Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen but went on to confirm his retirement from football. Now he has walked away from the beautiful game, Konate may remember the harsh lesson Matip gave him in one of his first training sessions at Liverpool.

Konate arrived as one of the world’s top young defenders and would have been keen to make a lasting impact on Klopp and his colleagues. He was competing with Matip and Joe Gomez to be Van Dijk’s long-term defensive ally.

Matip had no intention of surrendering his shirt to the Frenchman, despite welcoming him. Instead, he put the £36m defender to shame, reminding Klopp of his capabilities. During a small-sided pre-season match, Matip effortlessly manoeuvred past his opponents and scored a brilliant goal. Shortly after, he once again glided forward, this time easily bypassing Konate to hammer in a second strike.

This was a classic display of Matip’s tenacious resilience. Despite constantly battling injuries, the former Cameroonian international always demonstrated his dedication to the team.

In 2016, Matip even declined an invitation to join the Cameroonian squad for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, choosing instead to stay with the Reds. This decision sparked a fierce dispute between the club and the country, which eventually reached FIFA’s doorstep.

Although he never represented his country again, he concluded his tenure at Liverpool with 201 appearances for the club. His final season ended in a painful manner, as an anterior cruciate ligament injury limited him to just 10 Premier League appearances.

It’s possible that his injury deterred other teams from signing him on a free transfer. Given his refusal to relinquish his first-team place for academy prospect Gomez and high-profile signing Konate, it’s a tragic conclusion for such a successful player.

While his remarks date back to May, Klopp poignantly expressed the deep admiration and respect that Joel Matip commanded within Anfield corridors in what would be his concluding remarks as Liverpool manager on the club’s official website. Klopp said: “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. 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 and now all we can do is wish him well as he heads off in a new direction.”