Loris Karius has confirmed he received death threats after Liverpool’s 2018 Champions League final defeat.
Karius was responsible for two of Real Madrid’s goals as the retained the trophy with a 3-1 win over Jurgen Klopp’s side in Kiev two years ago.
It later emerged that the German goalkeeper had suffered a concussion following an on-the-ball clash with Real captain Sergio Ramos.
But Karius still faced a barrage of online abuse following the loss in the Ukrainian capital despite retaining Klopp’s support over his blunders.
Now the 26-year-old, who was succeeded as Reds’ no.1 by Alisson Becker that summer, has spoken out about the threats sent to him after the game.
“There were some of them, but I can’t take that seriously,” he told Sport Bild.
“These are people who write anonymously and don’t even show their faces in their profiles. I don’t think when people walk past me personally they can’t open their mouths.
“Players receive some extremely hostile messages on the internet. If you read every message, you wouldn’t be able to sleep for two days.
“It’s insane what people come out with under the guise of anonymity, badly insulting others, discriminating against them and then becoming racist.
“You can’t blame fans if they whistle a player. They pay admission and have the right to be dissatisfied. A professional has to endure that.
“But if there are personal insults or death threats, the limit is far exceeded.”
He added: “Believe me, I’ve learned a lot from that.
“In retrospect, I should have dealt with it publicly much more aggressively. I had a concussion after a blow from Sergio Ramos, which restricted my spatial vision.
“When the result was released, there was a lot of malice and insult, often well below the belt. I never used it as an excuse.
“But when people make fun of someone who has badly injured their head, I have no understanding.
“The reactions were over the top and disrespectful. My mistakes were not assessed fairly.”
Karius has not played a competitive game for Liverpool since the Kiev final and is currently nearing the end of a two-season loan at Turkish club Besiktas.