Joel Matip is ‘considering’ surprise career move at 33 after leaving Liverpool on free transfer

Free agent Joel Matip is said to be ‘considering’ an unexpected career move, just three months after leaving Liverpool.

Following an eight-year spell at Anfield that featured 201 appearances, 11 goals and seven winner’s medals, Matip has moved back to Gelsenkirchen with his family.

Bundesliga side Schalke have been trying to convince Matip to return to his former side, according to German publication BILD.

The defender notched 23 goals and 14 assists in 258 competitive games for the club at senior level before moving to Liverpool on a free in 2016.

But a report from another publication, Ruhr Nachrichten, has claimed that the former Cameroon international is considering hanging up his boots for good.

The 33-year-old ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during a Premier League clash against Fulham on December 3 and failed to make another appearance during the 2023/24 campaign.

So what’s next for Matip? Well, we know he obtained his UEFA B coaching licence during his spell at Liverpool, and in June last year, he hosted a coaching session for members of the Robbie Fowler Academy.

With that in mind, it appears Matip has offered to coach the children of Gelsenkirchen-based sports club SSV Buer, who announced the news on Instagram last week.

The post reads: “From the REDS to the ROTHOSEN: Joel Matip trains our SSV kindergarten!”

“No april fool on the 3rd October! The 2019 Champions League winner assisted as co-coach Benjamin Reclik (from the D4 coaching team).

“Joel (33) returned to his home Gelsenkirchen in the summer after eight very successful years at FC Liverpool. His wife and he were looking for a nearby football club for their little son – the choice (logically) fell on SSV Buer. Joel also immediately offered to help with training.”

The club added: “Since the news got out that Joel was training the little ones, there was of course a huge rush. Youth leader Carsten Weber says that we can no longer accept [more] children.”

As mentioned earlier, Matip holds a UEFA B licence, which allows him to become a head coach at amateur clubs, youth teams up to the age of 16 and assistant coaches at professional level.