Matip was born in Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. He started his professional career with Schalke 04 in 2009. He was part of the Schalke side that won the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup in 2011. He made 258 competitive appearances and scored 23 goals for Schalke before moving to Liverpool on a free transfer in 2016. He won the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool, playing the full 90 minutes in the final in 2019. In the same game, he also assisted Divock Origi's goal in the 87th minute that saw Liverpool defeat Tottenham Hotspur 2–0.