Karius, who is remembered for two costly errors in the 2018 Champions League final defeat by Real Madrid, never played for Liverpool again after that match and was released in 2022. This season with Schalke, the goalkeeper kept his 12th clean sheet on Saturday and conceded 24 goals from 29 appearances.
Diletta Leotta, the DAZN presenter and Karius's partner, lauded his resilience and revealed that he came close to quitting football. She wrote on social media: 'This sport can be tough, sometimes ruthless. It exposes you, tests you, makes you fall in front of everyone. But if you find the strength to stay, to believe again, sooner or later it brings you back exactly where you deserve to be.' Leotta is heavily pregnant with the couple's second child.
This sport can be tough, sometimes ruthless. [It] exposes you, tests you, makes you fall in front of everyone. But if you find the strength to stay, to believe again, sooner or later it brings you back exactly where you deserve to be. I have seen that strength up close. In the silences, in the difficult moments, on the days when it would have been easier to give up. And today it's not just a victory. It's a revival. Its love for what you do. That's courage. Proud of you.