Jurgen Klopp comments on Joel Matip sum up Liverpool icon's impact

Joel Matip has decided to after leaving Liverpool this past summer with perfectly capturing everyone's thoughts about the defender.

A fan favorite while playing for Liverpool for eight years, struck together an incredible partnership with and had regularly been a go-to option for Klopp when he had been injury-free, which unfortunately, played a big part in his career.

made 201 appearances for the Reds over an eight-year spell at Anfield, after joining from Schalke 04 in 2016 - being considered one of the club's greatest-ever signings as a free agent - after becoming one of Klopp's first ever signings since becoming manager.

He went on to win every possible trophy with the Reds, including starting and assisting a goal in their Champions League final win while bringing the club it's first ever Premier League trophy the following season. Matip left the club this past summer after not having his contract renewed, suffering a brutal ACL tear that meant he missed much of the season, with fans giving him a send-off along with Klopp on the final day of the season.

And when it had been announced that he would be leaving, Klopp summed up the German-Cameroonian's legacy with the club perfectly. He 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."

Matip had been close friends with Van Dijk over the years, with the defender becoming beloved for his ability to bring the ball out of defense and surprise the opposition while driving through the heart of midfield. The 33-year-old had remained a free agent through the start of the summer as rehabbed his knee injury, but has chosen to not pursue another club and has walked away from the game.

As well as making 150 league appearances for Liverpool, Matip had also played in 194 Bundesliga games for Schalke - spending 16 years at the club where he is also held in high regard. Although German-born, Matip chose to represent Cameroonian at the international level, but refused to play for the nation in the latter years of his career after citing his unhappiness with the national team while having a bad experience with the coaching staff.

Matip made 500 appearances exactly in his career, scoring 45 goals and adding 25 assists.