OTD in 2016, modest, softly-spoken Matip made his debut for Reds! 🔴

On this day in 2016, Joel Matip made his debut for the Reds. If there was such a thing as the Joel Matip Appreciation Society, the last person you would ever expect to become a member is Matip himself.

Yet, on the third anniversary of the modest, softly-spoken central defender’s Liverpool debut against Burton Albion, it’s probably fair to say that membership of said group would be at an all-time high - perhaps even with Jürgen Klopp serving as honorary president. 

“I think everything about him has been said, what a guy he is, what a player he is,” Klopp replied when asked about Matip’s defensive colleague Virgil van Dijk during Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the USA this summer.

The question was designed, it seemed, to tee up Klopp to further eulogize his No.4, but he chose instead to shine a light on his No.32.

“But not a lot of people spoke about the impact Joel Matip had in the last third of the season,” the Reds’ boss continued. “I don't see a lot of center-backs in the world who are better in that period, 100 percent, pretty much without any mistakes.”

Of the 20 games Liverpool played in all competitions between the start of last season and the visit to Burnley in early December, Matip started only three and appeared from the bench five times.

Of the 33 games bookended by that Turf Moor outing and the season’s unforgettable finale at Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid, however, Matip started 23 - despite spending a month on the sidelines with a fractured collarbone sustained against Napoli in December - and distinguished himself as one of Europe's in-form centre-halves.

Come March, off the back of four consecutive clean sheets achieved with Matip starting, Klopp was voicing his satisfaction with the man whose signature he had secured on a free transfer back in July 2016.

“When he got injured it was outstanding what he did, especially the Napoli game where he got the injury,” stated the boss. “We then lost him in pretty much the wrong moment. He is a really high-class player. 

He is doing the job and not asking for any credit or whatever, he is just there and loves what he is doing. It’s really nice to have him around.”

He's gone on to make more appearances, so far!