From Tears to Turkey to Tyneside: Inside Loris Karius' five years of footballing hell ahead of shock Carabao Cup final appearance

He’s a confident guy, is Loris Karius, but even he must have wondered whether an opportunity like this would ever come his way again.

Five years is a long time to wait for a shot at redemption, but the German will get his in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday. A chance to banish some demons, to play the hero for once. A chance to rewrite the story of a career which until now is defined only by its worst night.

Newcastle’s biggest game since 1999 will be Karius’ first for an English club since 2018, when his errors cost Liverpool the Champions League final against Real Madrid.

He has not played competitively for any club in nearly two years, and his Magpies career so far consists of just a 45-minute run-out against Al Hilal in a mid-season friendly in Saudi Arabia in December.

All that will change this weekend, though, when he lines up against Marcus Rashford and Manchester United beneath the Wembley arch.

With Nick Pope suspended, Martin Dubravka cup-tied and Karl Darlow having been sent out on loan, Karius will be asked to step up and deliver for Eddie Howe’s side, as Newcastle look to secure their first major trophy since 1969.

If he can do it, then maybe we can all finally move past the tears of Kyiv. And after everything Karius has been through in the intervening period, who could begrudge the 29-year-old his day in the sun?

This is his story...