Loris Karius, the former Liverpool goalkeeper, has opened up about the profound mental toll that the 2018 Champions League final defeat took on his career, admitting he contemplated quitting professional football and struggled to even motivate himself to attend training sessions. The German international was the focus of intense scrutiny following the match in Kyiv, where costly errors contributed to Liverpool’s 3-1 loss against Real Madrid.

The 2018 Champions League Final and its Aftermath

The 2018 final marked a turning point in Karius’s career. His performance was overshadowed by two significant mistakes. The first instance saw his attempted throw deflected into the net by Karim Benzema. Later in the game, he spilled a long-range shot from Gareth Bale, allowing it to go into his own goal. While it was later medically confirmed that Karius had been suffering from a concussion at the time of the match, the errors had a devastating and lasting impact on his standing within the club and his confidence.

Following the final, Karius never played another competitive match for Liverpool’s senior team. He spent the subsequent three seasons out on loan, first with Turkish club Besiktas and then with German side Union Berlin. The final year of his contract with Liverpool was spent as an unused squad member at Anfield. In September 2022, he joined Newcastle United as a backup goalkeeper on a free transfer, a role that offered limited playing opportunities.

Finding First-Choice Status Again

It wasn’t until January 2025 that Karius found himself in a position to be a first-choice goalkeeper once more, signing with Schalke. This move came eight years after the Champions League final that had so profoundly affected him. He became a key player for Schalke during the 2025/26 season, helping them secure promotion back to the Bundesliga as champions of the 2. Bundesliga. Karius played a significant role, making 30 league appearances during that campaign. This tally starkly contrasted with his playing time in the preceding seasons, where he had managed only 11 appearances across all clubs combined since the 2020/21 season.

Battling Mental Health and Rediscovering the Love for Football

In recent reflections shared with newspapers belonging to the Funke Media Group, as reported by Sport Witness, Karius detailed the depth of his struggles in the years following the 2018 final. He confessed to falling out of love with the sport, describing a period where he felt completely empty and had to actively force himself to go to training just to get through the day.

“At times, I had to force myself to go to work and just tried to get through the day somewhat normally,” Karius stated. He expressed a sense of helplessness, admitting, “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.”

The goalkeeper elaborated on the feeling of isolation during this difficult phase. “During that phase, I felt like no one understood me.” He characterized his career trajectory up to that point as a rapid ascent, which was then abruptly halted. “Up until that point, my career had been on a steep upward trajectory, but then I suddenly came crashing down, hitting rock bottom.”

Karius highlighted the particular difficulty of navigating these challenges in his mid-twenties. “It was extremely tough, partly because, being in my mid-twenties at the time, I wasn’t as emotionally grounded as I am today.” The consequence was a significant loss of passion for the game: “And quite honestly: during that period, I lost the joy of playing football. I had no desire to train or play anymore.”

The Long Road Back

Karius’s journey from the depths of despair after the 2018 final to becoming a championship-winning goalkeeper again illustrates remarkable resilience. His experience underscores the intense psychological pressures faced by professional athletes, particularly when errors are magnified on a global stage. The concussion diagnosis provided a medical explanation for his performance, but the mental scars took considerably longer to heal. His eventual return to a prominent role at Schalke signifies not just a professional comeback, but a personal triumph over adversity and a rediscovery of his love for the sport.

His candid admission offers a rare glimpse into the mental battles that can accompany elite-level sports, emphasizing the importance of mental well-being and support systems for athletes facing significant career setbacks. Karius’s story is a testament to the possibility of recovery and the enduring spirit required to overcome profound challenges in the pursuit of one’s passion.