Loris Karius considering retiring after Liverpool Champions League final clanger he still hasn’t recovered from
LORIS KARIUS has revealed he has found it difficult to recover from his Champions League final clangers and is considering retirement.
The former Liverpool goalkeeper was inconsolable after making a pair of high-profile errors in the 2018 Champions League final against Real Madrid in Kyiv at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium.
Karius made two high-profile errors that cost Liverpool in the Champions League final against Real Madrid[/caption]
Scans at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston following the game concluded that he had suffered a concussion following an off-ball clash with Sergio Ramos.
However, Karius was subject to months of horrific messages and death threats.
And the German, now 31, has revealed how he has felt he was unable to gain any new managers trust in training no matter how much work he did.
Speaking to SPORTBible, he said: “It has been difficult to shake off. Even at other clubs when I was trying to gain a manager’s trust or get game time when I felt like, in my opinion, I deserved it…
“There have definitely been moments where I’ve thought that was my disadvantage.
“It might not even be the manager’s fault but if you know you have a player that is going to draw so much attention then it’s going to add pressure.
“They’ve probably thought, ‘I’ll take the easy and safe way rather than go the other route.’
“You can understand in some ways but it’s frustrating when there isn’t much else you can do to change their mind.”
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Karius was the clubs first-choice goalkeeper at the time of the final, with Jurgen Klopp publicly backing him by handing him the No.1 shirt ahead of the game.
Klopp’s faith meant the world to him, but Karius says that after the errors he needed to try and make a fresh start away from the scrutiny.
He said: “My confidence was knocked in the days after and in pre-season, for sure. Everything I did was getting looked at. It was so extreme. It all got a bit too much.
“I was trying not to pay any interest but you couldn’t get away from it all. You still notice. People are telling you. I was getting confronted all the time.
“And that’s why I wanted a fresh start rather than staying at Liverpool, where I could have been behind Alisson, and still getting game time.
“Maybe in the end that would have been the better step but it’s difficult to say at that stage.”
Karius was sent on loan to Besiktas in Turkey in the following two seasons, making 67 appearances.
He describes his time there as “turbulent” with “a lot of chaos”, which was partly down to having to sue his own club due to “not getting paid for five or six months”.
However, in the 2020/21 season Karius went on loan to Bundesliga side Union Berlin but played just five games.
He added: “I thought it would be different. I thought I could go to Turkey, reset and have a fresh start.
Karius career stats
Mainz (2011-2016): 96 appearances
Liverpool (2016-2022): 49 appearances
Besiktas (loan 2018-2020): 67 appearances
Union Berlin (loan 2020/21): 5 appearances
Newcastle (2022-2024): 2 appearances
Germany: Represented nation across youth levels from Under-16 to Under-21.
“But it got even more turbulent. I was in a country I’d never been to before. I didn’t speak the language and I was on my own most of the time.
“I wasn’t in a good mental space. There was no one to talk to; not even the coaches because they could only speak Turkish.
“There was no one there to help. I was just really relieved when I was able to leave. That was probably the most difficult time of my career.
“From there, it went downhill, step by step. Once you’re without game time for a year or two, it’s not going to get easier to get back in goal at the highest level.”
Karius then did not play in the 2021/22 season, with his Reds contract eventually expiring in 2022 before Newcastle picked him up on free agency, whom he stayed with for two years as a back-up goalkeeper.
He ended up starring for them twice, including in the 2023 Carabao Cup final against Manchester United when Nick Pope was suspended and Martin Dubravka cup tied.
After making his second appearance in a 4-1 defeat to Arsenal last season – a season when he “expected, or hoped, to play games” – Karius is now without a club.
Despite the challenges he has faced, years later, Karius has been able to reflect and has found positives from the darkest moment of his career.
Karius went on loan to Besiktas for two years from Liverpool[/caption]
He joined Newcastle in 2022 after becoming a free agent[/caption]
He said: “It was a game. I made some mistakes. I was probably injured when doing so.
“What am I going to learn from this? To not make the same mistake next time? Or signal when I received the hit? It’s not easy.
“But the experience made me stronger as a person. It’s part of my story. It’s part of my history. At the end of the day, I was a Liverpool player. I reached the Champions League final.
“It didn’t play out how I wanted but less than one percent of professional footballers play in a Champions League final. We did great things. You can’t deny that.”
His time as a free agent has allowed Karius to pursue his passion for music, walk the runway for Hugo Boss at Milan Fashion Week in September and spend time watching his daughter grow.
Karius got married to Italian TV presenter Diletta Leotta in June this year after meeting in 2022.
Leotta gave birth to the couples first child on August 16 2023, a baby girl named Aria.
On his future, Karius revealed he had offers from Saudi Arabia and Italian teams Roma, Monza and Torino, but wanted to have a shot at playing and not move far away from his family.
The couple welcomed baby girl Aria in August 2023[/caption]
He said: “I was hoping to get a good opportunity in the summer, where I could have a shot at playing again.
“I could still get that somewhere else, but I still have expectations of which level I want to play. I have to be honest with myself and not go somewhere I may not feel comfortable.
“I chose not to go to Saudi Arabia, for example. To be that far away from my family would have been difficult.
“I’ve spoken to teams but in the end, it didn’t work out. There were advanced talks with a team in Italy but that didn’t happen, which was sad at the time.
“It hasn’t been easy but I can honestly say that I’ve been working as hard as I can over the past few years. I’ve been putting a lot of work in behind the scenes.
“I’ve been a top team player but when it comes to two or three years where you’ve barely played, it gets really frustrating. You’re thinking, ‘What else can I actually do?’ I still feel like I have a lot of quality…
“If you’ve been out for as long as I have then you obviously have to consider retirement.
“I haven’t made a decision yet because there’s no need to. I’m still fit. I still have all the potential and the ability.
“But if a door doesn’t open then I have to be honest and say to myself, ‘Listen. I’ve got many other things that I can pursue that excite me; that I enjoy and put effort into.’
“I don’t think it would hit me that hard because I’ve already been going through this process over the last few years.”
