Karius leaves Liverpool 4 years after infamous Champions League final
What you need to know:
- The departure list released on Thursday included Divock Origi, whose contract also expires this month.
Liverpool have confirmed the departure of goalkeeper Loris Karius four years after he last appeared for the club when his concussion-related blunders contributed to a 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League final. Champions League 2018.The 28-year-old German no longer played for the English Premier League club, who sent him on loan after signing Alisson Becker that summer.
The departure list released on Thursday included Divock Origi, whose contract also expires this month. The oft-injured striker has been involved in “some of the most iconic and significant moments in the club’s modern history”, Liverpool have said.
In the 2018 final, Karius made some high-profile errors on goals from Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale. Doctors later concluded that Karius suffered a concussion minutes before Benzema’s goal when he was hit by Sergio Ramos.
Benzema scored early in the second half when Karius tried to roll the ball towards a defender. The striker took his right foot out and deflected the ball into the net. Sadio Mané equalized then Bale scored with an unstoppable scissor kick. But Karius then let Bale’s deflected shot squirm through his hands, giving Madrid a 3-1 lead.
“Karius had a concussion. This was later proven. Nobody talks about it,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said a day before the team’s 1-0 loss to Madrid in this year’s Champions League final.
Karius was on loan at Besiktas and Union Berlin before returning to join Liverpool’s goalkeeping squad at their training center this season. He joined the team in 2016 from German club Mainz.
