A biography for Joel Matiphasn’t been written yet.
“You can't say that you want to stop after a good game. You always want to show it.”
“The intensity was not really a surprise because I watched a lot of games before I came to the Premier League.”
“It is always a fight against these big teams and you have to take on the battle.”
“There are so many Liverpool supporters around the world that you just feel how big the club is and how many people love the club in their own special way. You just feel part of a really special thing.”
“Schalke has shaped my life, and its influence will stay with me forever. I will think positively about this club all my life.”
“I want to play in the Champions League because then you play against the biggest teams and the biggest players and everybody will enjoy this.”
“It might sound like a cliche, but it's just more physical in Premier League, especially those teams from the bottom third where real 'bulls' are flying into the box. It's a different kind of rigorousness.”
“I tried to play and represent my country, do my best and achieve something but all the surrounding things were not the best.”
“After initial difficulties and injuries, I feel comfortable in Liverpool now.”
“There was no tougher training than under Magath. Every coach I had after this I would think 'no problem.' Magath was what you call 'old school.' His favourite thing was the medicine ball weighing up to 10 kilos. He loved to make you do everything with it - running, all the exercises. Everyone hated it, but it made us fit.”
“I hope preparation will help me a lot to get a good fitness level but there are a lot of points to work hard on.”