By Ohuakanwa Chibuzo
Liverpool FC has confirmed that midfielder Thiago Alcantara and defender Joel Matip will depart the club at the end of the season. The announcement comes as both players have faced significant injury challenges limiting their playing time this season.
Thiago, 33, joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich in 2020, making 98 appearances for the club. Matip, 32, has been with Liverpool since 2016 after transferring from Schalke, playing 201 games and scoring 11 goals.
Matip has been sidelined since December due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sustained against Fulham. Thiago, a former Spain international and Barcelona player, missed the first half of the season with a hip issue and suffered a muscle problem during his return match in February, keeping him off the field since.
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Reflecting on his time at Liverpool, Matip 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.”
Matip played a crucial role in Liverpool’s 2019 Champions League victory, assisting Divock Origi for the second goal in the final against Tottenham. He also celebrated the club’s first Premier League title in 30 years in 2020.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp praised Matip, stating, “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.”
Klopp, who will also be leaving Liverpool after their final game of the season against Wolves at Anfield on Sunday, commended Thiago as well. “Before he even came to Liverpool I believed that if you really love football it would make a lot of sense if you watched Thiago Alcantara play. I know injuries have been a frustration for him and also for us but the level that he was able to play at when he was available was incredible. This is what I will remember.”
Thiago expressed his feelings about his departure on social media, describing his time at Liverpool as a “life-changing experience” and conveyed his “appreciation and gratitude” to the fans.
Both players were instrumental in Liverpool’s 2022 FA Cup and EFL Cup victories. That season, Liverpool narrowly missed out on a historic quadruple, finishing second to Manchester City in the Premier League by one point and losing the Champions League final to Real Madrid.
