Rise, fall, and rise again: The story of Loris Karius' Schalke redemption
At the age of 32, Loris Karius has played a crucial role in Schalke’s march towards promotion. The goalkeeper has overcome plenty of obstacles on his journey to this point, but now he is reaping the rewards of his obvious talent…
The Royal Blues’ success in 2025/26 has been built on a stingy rearguard, with Karius shining as the last line of defence. The shot-stopper has played in 29 of his team’s 32 games, conceding on just 24 occasions and keeping a Bundesliga 2-leading 12 clean sheets.
He has put in a number of match-winning displays, while his save percentage rate of 73.6 is the highest of all first-choice goalkeepers in the second tier. As such, his performances have earned him praise across the country, with Schalke’s record goalscorer Klaus Fischer saying in January: “Schalke have the best goalkeeper not only in the second division, but in all of Germany. The national team coach should really start thinking about what kind of goalkeeper he has and how he plays.”
Watch: Schalke 1-0 Fortuna Düsseldorf - highlights
The sun is currently shining on Karius, but things have not always been so smooth. Instead, he has had to fight tooth and nail to earn redemption. He was a precocious talent, featuring for Germany’s youth teams and spending two years in Manchester City’s academy between 2009 and 2011 before joining Mainz.
When he made his debut in December 2012 at the age of 19 years and five months, he was the youngest-ever Mainz goalkeeper in the Bundesliga. He was the 05ers’ first-choice custodian from the 2013/14 campaign onwards, and by 2015/16 he had become an ever-present, keeping nine clean sheets as Mainz finished sixth in the table and qualified for European football.
By that point, ex-Mainz coach Jürgen Klopp had taken over at Liverpool and was looking to bolster his team’s goalkeeping ranks. As such, he used his connections at the MEWA Arena to bring in Karius ahead of the 2016/17 season, but despite starting that campaign as first-choice keeper, Karius later lost that status following a frustrating run of form.
By January 2018, he had reclaimed his place between the sticks and impressed in the Premier League, keeping 10 clean sheets in 19 outings and conceding just 14 times. He also played every minute of Liverpool’s run to the UEFA Champions League final in 2017/18, but it was in that match that his career suffered a blow from which he has only recently recovered.
Real Madrid beat the Reds 3-1 in Kyiv, with Karius directly at fault for two of the Spanish club’s goals. For the first, he threw the ball straight at Karim Benzema’s foot, sending it trickling over the line, before fumbling Gareth Bale’s speculative long-range effort for the third.
Karius was in tears at full time, apologising profusely to the travelling supporters as the Madrid players celebrated. “I’m sorry for everyone - the team, the whole club - that the mistakes cost us dearly,” he later said. “If I could go back in time, I would.
“I feel sorry for my team. I know I let them down. It’s very hard right now, but that’s the life of a goalkeeper. You have to get your head up again. These goals cost us the title, basically.”
Shortly before Benzema’s opener, Karius had been involved in an altercation with Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, after which he went down holding his head. Doctors would later reveal he had suffered a concussion. Klopp himself also pointed this out during pre-season ahead of the following campaign.
By then, though, Karius’ reputation had already taken a hit. He joined Turkish outfit Besiktas on loan for the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, and while he was a regular in both campaigns, the stint ended on a sour note as he terminated his contract following a dispute over wages.
Between the start of 2020/21 and the end of 2024/25, Karius made just 11 appearances. Five of them came while on loan at Union Berlin in 2020/21, and while he did well when called upon, he was mainly used as a back-up to Frederik Rønnow.
Two outings came at Newcastle United, one of which was in the Magpies’ 2-0 defeat to Manchester United in the 2022/23 English League Cup final. Then, following six months without a club at the start of last season, Karius was picked up by Schalke as they looked to solve their defensive struggles.
After keeping a clean sheet on his debut in a 1-0 win over Preußen Münster, Karius started the following three games as Schalke picked up seven points from a possible 12. However, the Baden-Württemberg native suffered another setback in the form of a calf injury against Greuther Fürth on Matchday 27, forcing him to miss the rest of the campaign.
Such a streak of bad luck may have convinced a lesser character to turn his back on the game, but Karius is made of sterner stuff. Schalke must also be applauded for choosing to extend his contract for another two years, as his previous deal was set to expire following the conclusion of the 2024/25 campaign. With promotion to the top flight now confirmed, all parties have been rewarded for their perseverance.
Karius is acutely aware of the impact Schalke have had on his time as a professional. “In the summer of 2024, there weren’t any suitable offers for me,” he explained back in November 2025. “In October, I reached a point where I had already resigned myself to the fact that there wouldn’t be any more offers for the time being.
“I have to say: If Schalke hadn’t approached me, I probably would have even ended my career, so it’s all the better that things are going so well here now. This club has brought me joy from the very beginning and given me so much.”
So what does the future hold for Karius? Next season, he will be able to fulfil his “long-term goal” for which he “trains every day” - playing in the Bundesliga once more.
When asked whether he will end his career at Schalke, he said: “I probably won’t sign that many more contracts. I feel completely at home at Schalke. When my contract here expires, I’ll be 34 years old. We’ll discuss our respective expectations when the time comes. I’m relaxed about it.”
As Schalke head coach Miron Muslić and his side look to compete amongst the elite, Karius’ experience could prove vital. It has been a long road back to the top, but Karius has shown that giving up is never an option.
