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#7 Cameroon and Joel Matip
Honestly, it was karma that got Joel Matip. While many good footballers would be proud to play for their country, Matip heard the call of the Cameroonian coach Hugo Broos, but he didn't heed.
He didn’t fancy Cameroon’s chances at the 2017 African Cup of Nations. Instead, he chose to stay at Liverpool on the pretext that he was trying to earn his place in the team, while his teammate Sadio Mane packed his bags and joined the Senegalese national team.
So, in a that-serves-you-right episode, Liverpool picked up league two points in the four league matches played during the 2017 African Cup of Nations (14 January – February 5) and Cameroon went on to win the African Nations championship.
Matip started two of these (2-0 loss against Hull City and a 1-1 draw with Chelsea), was a 94th minutes substitute in one (Liverpool’s 2-3 home loss to Swansea City) and wasn’t named in the matchday squad of the other one (a 1-1 stalemate against Manchester United).
With the perfect opportunity to gloat, the Cameroonian coach mocked Matip’s cowardly decision.
To everyone concerned, Matip’s days in the Cameroonian colours seem over.
