Loris Karius has opened up on his struggles following Liverpool's Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid
Loris Karius, Thiago Alcantara and Kostas Tsimikas of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre
Loris Karius, Thiago Alcantara and Kostas Tsimikas of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre(Image: 2021 Liverpool FC)
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Loris Karius has admitted he didn’t want to be a footballer anymore after Liverpool’s Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in 2018. The German was at fault for two of the La Liga giants’ goals as they ran out 3-1 winners over Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The goalkeeper first saw Karim Benzema deflect his wayward throw into the net, before later spilling Gareth Bale’s 40-yard strike into his own net. While Karius was later confirmed to have been suffering from a concussion, such errors still had a detrimental impact on his career.
He would never play for Liverpool again and spent the next three seasons out on loan at Besiktas and Union Berlin. Spending the final year of his contract as an unused player back at Anfield, he would later join Newcastle United as a back-up goalkeeper on a free transfer in September 2022.
Yet Karius had to wait until he signed for Schalke in January 2025 for the opportunity to become a first-choice goalkeeper again.
Eight years on from his Champions League final nightmare in Kiev, the 33-year-old was a star performer for Schalke as they won promotion back to the Bundesliga as 2. Bundesliga champions.
Karius made 30 league appearances during the 2025/26 campaign, having only made 11 appearances for all his clubs combined since the 2020/21 season.
And the shot-stopper has admitted he fell out of love with football in the years that followed his mistakes in Kiev, revealing he had to force himself just to go to training as he hit rock bottom.
“At times, I had to force myself to go to work and just tried to get through the day somewhat normally,” he told newspapers belonging to the Funke Media Group, as quoted by Sport Witness.
“Even now, I don’t know what I should have done differently. I just felt empty; I even thought about retiring, but I was only 25 years old and couldn’t simply stay at home. During that phase, I felt like no one understood me.
“Up until that point, my career had been on a steep upward trajectory, but then I suddenly came crashing down, hitting rock bottom.
“It was extremely tough, partly because, being in my mid-twenties at the time, I wasn’t as emotionally grounded as I am today. And quite honestly: during that period, I lost the joy of playing football. I had no desire to train or play anymore.”