“Police 24 hours a day” – Player on death threats following Liverpool match

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius has detailed how he required police protection during his time at Anfield after receiving death threats.

The German goalkeeper joined the Reds in a €6.2m move from Mainz in 2016, with the Reds viewing him as their long-term number one.

That was a role he would not end up fulfilling, though. Despite a positive start to life at Anfield, the goalkeeper never looked like he was the long-term answer.

Then came the 2018 Champions League final. Karius’ career was fundamentally changed by that game after he committed two catastrophic errors that led to Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in Kyiv.

High profile mistakes

They stemmed from a collision with Sergio Ramos in the 48^th minute, when the LIveropol goalkeeper was struck by an elbow from the Real Madrid captain. He did not receive immediate treatment for that incident.

And three minutes later, disaster struck. Karius attempted a quick, routine underarm thrown to roll the ball to Dejan Lovren.

But he had not seen Karim Benzema lurking. He anticipated the throw, blocked it and deflected the ball into an empty net to put Madrid 1-0 up.

The second mistake came in the 83^rd minute as, with Liverpool trailing 2-1, Gareth Bale struck a swerving, long-range shot from 35 yards out.

Karius mistimed his positioning, hesitated between catching and parrying and ultimately allowed the ball to slip through his hands into the net.

Death threats

Karius faced intense public scrutiny afterwards, alongside global ridicule and death threats. The latter prompted an investigation by Merseyside Police. He never played another competitive fixture for Liverpool.

And now he’s detailed just how serious those death threats were.

“I didn’t read the threats, but there were death threats against me and my family,” he told the TOMorrow podcast.

“Things the police took seriously enough to stand guard at my place 24 hours a day. It’s not exactly a great feeling when you see the police having to stand guard at your home.”

Fortunately for the goalkeeper, that incident was not the end of his career. He moved to Besiktas in 2018 on loan, before a spell at Union Berlin.

Liverpool let him go in 2022 before he then moved to Newcastle a few months later. That lasted two years before his move to Schalke last summer. From there, he’s enjoyed something of a career revival.

Indeed, he’s now the star of the show at the German club. And there’s even been calls for him to replace Manuel Neuer in the German national team. He’s come a long way from the player receiving death threats after undoubtedly the worst moment of his playing career.