Loris Karius, four years after being released by Liverpool, is rebuilding his career at Schalke, where he was named Man of the Match in a 1-0 home defeat to Mainz on Saturday. German media outlets have praised the 33-year-old goalkeeper's performance, with one outlet dubbing him 'world-class again'.
Karius impresses despite Schalke defeat
Karius, who joined Schalke in early 2025 to pursue first-team football, played a key role in the club's promotion from Bundesliga 2 last season. Schalke currently sit 14th in the top flight after six games.
In its report, BILD said: "Without Loris Karius, Schalke's 0-1 defeat against Mainz would likely have been even worse. The goalkeeper made two crucial one-on-one saves in the very first minute and was once again named player of the match."
German media praise for former Liverpool keeper
Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung gave Karius the highest possible player rating of one, writing: "It is thanks solely to the goalkeeper that Mainz did not score more goals before the break. In the very first minute, Karius neutralised three clear-cut chances."
RevierSport praised Karius for saving Schalke "again and again", noting that "from Schalke's point of view, is clearly the fault of their own goalkeeper: Because Karius saved the Royal Blues from conceding goals several times, mostly against Becker."
Manager singles out Karius for praise
Schalke manager Miron Muslic said: "You have to come back using our Schalke virtues: aggression, strength in challenges and willpower. We only managed that from the 65th minute onwards, which is too late. Until then, Mainz could have extended their lead. Loris Karius kept us in the game with several excellent saves."
Karius, who has not played for Liverpool since the 2018 Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid, had loan spells at Besiktas and Union Berlin before his release in 2022. He made a rare appearance for Newcastle in the 2023 League Cup final against Manchester United, where he couldn't be blamed for either goal in a 2-0 defeat.
