By HARRY BAMFORTH, LIVE SPORTS COVERAGE REPORTER
Published: 07:58 EST, 14 November 2025 | Updated: 08:03 EST, 14 November 2025
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius has been described as the 'phoenix of football' leading Schalke's revival from between the sticks, as his own career rises from the ashes.
Seven years on from that fateful night in Kyiv, the last time we would ever see Karius don a Reds shirt in a competitive setting, the 32-year-old is finally finding his feet again in the German second division.
Karius had been on a downward spiral ever since he was humiliated in front of the entire world in the 2018 Champions League final, in which he was culpable for two of Real Madrid's three goals.
Two failed loan spells with Besiktas and Union Berlin followed his final foray for Liverpool, before a two year spell with Newcastle, where he was third-choice goalkeeper. Karius was a forgotten man in the ever-brutal world of football.
But now, the shot-stopper is showing the world what he is capable of once again.
Karius is the brick wall at the base of a Schalke team pushing for a return to the pinnacle of German football for the first time since 2023, when they were relegated from the Bundesliga for the second time in three seasons.
Loris Karius has been deemed the 'phoenix of football' as he revives his career at Schalke
Karius is finally turning a corner after his infamous howlers for Liverpool in 2018 Champions League final
Last season, seven-time German champions conceded the most goals in the second division, finishing the campaign in a lowly 14th place and with seemingly no hopes of pushing for promotion in years to come.
But now, with Karius firmly settled after signing in January, the club are second in the table on 27 points and have the best defensive record in the league, conceding just seven goals in 12 matches.
Karius has kept an impressive six clean sheets in those games, which is already two more than the club kept in the entirety of last season.
Journalists and footballing icons were once criticising Karius with regularity due to error-strewn performances at Liverpool, but now, after rebuilding his once-shattered confidence levels, people are taking notice of the goalkeeper's quality once again.
'He gives the team confidence, makes impossible saves, and hardly makes any mistakes,' Schalke legend Olaf Thon told Ran.de. 'He has experience, and it shows.'
Karius has his mojo back. The tears of Kyiv have been replaced with smiles now he is performing back in his motherland.
'I don't usually pay much attention to statistics, but as a goalkeeper, you always want to keep a clean sheet,' Karius said.
'I'm playing well and I'm satisfied . I'm having an amazing time. I go to training every day with a smile . I'm grateful to be able to experience this week after week , and it's even more wonderful how things are going.
Karius is said to be making 'impossible saves' and has kept six clean sheets in 12 league games
His sweeper-keeper nature has even drawn comparisons to the great Manuel Neuer, but Karius is not getting too carried away just yet.
'There's no point in comparing ourselves. There's only one like him. He's the best goalkeeper of all time.'
Karius is living in Gelsenkirchen with his stunning football TV presenter Diletta Leotta, who recently spoke out on her glamorous looks.
Leotta has claimed her 'pretty' self-presentation is a mark of 'respect for the viewer' after she was criticised for her choice of outfits.
A fellow presenter, Valentina Maceri, included Leotta in a group of broadcasters who border on 'vulgarity' and lack 'professionalism'.
But now Leotta has fiercely defended her right to wear whatever she wants - and insisted that DAZN place the utmost importance on talent when choosing their presenters.
She told La Gazzetta dello Sport: 'Of course I feel it [people being obsessed with aesthetics]. But I feel part of a shift in the perception of women as presenters and journalists, which I think is finally taking hold.
'In this sense, I have to say I'm lucky to work with DAZN, because here they manage to emphasize competence, valorizing talent regardless of whether you're a woman or a man. It's clear that image is part of our job, especially for those in television, but if you turn out to be a container without substance, you won't get very far.
The goalkeeper is loving life back in Germany and lives with his TV presenter wife Diletta Leotta
Leotta hosts Serie A's coverage for DAZN and has become a popular figure online
'Even today, I study, I prepare, I try to stay up to date: that's the key. Also, a nice dress is a pleasure to wear; being well-groomed, pretty, and pleasant to look at, I think, is also a matter of respect for the viewer, but I think that applies in any work environment.
'Envy isn't a concept I'm familiar with, but I don't know if it's a personality issue or if it's because I grew up in a family full of women, with a mother who was always there for me and never passed this kind of feeling on to us children.
'On the contrary, I remember rejoicing in my sisters, brothers, and friends. I admired my brothers, who are all older than me, and I thought, "Wow, they did it, I want to do it too." My brother has a degree in medicine, my sisters in law and architecture: for me, they were a motivation. I deeply love and appreciate women and men who achieve their goals; I think they can only be a source of inspiration.
'The problem is that we live in the age of social media, which is full of not-so-great comments. The problem is that maybe those people who write those comments are the same ones who actually ask you for a photo or a greeting.'