Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius has claimed he "learned a lot" about dealing with criticism after his nightmare showing in the Champions League final two years ago, while insisting his errors were "not assessed fairly".
Karius and Simon Mignolet both fought for the No.1 spot in Jurgen Klopp's team throughout the 2018-19 campaign, as the Reds pushed for success on both domestic and continental fronts.
Liverpool were only able to finish fourth in the Premier League after falling out of the title picture, and saved their best performances for Europe's elite competition.
The Merseyside outfit reached their first European Cup final since 2007 after beating Porto, Manchester City and Roma in the knockout stages, only to come up against a Real Madrid side looking to win a third successive continental crown.
Klopp opted for Karius over Mignolet in Kiev, which ultimately proved to be a costly decision, as the German gifted Madrid the lead early in the second half when his goal kick was diverted into the net by Karim Benzema.
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Sadio Mane levelled the scores moments later, but substitute Gareth Bale put Zinedine Zidane's men back in front with a sublime overhead kick just after the hour mark, before Karius once again fell under the spotlight.
The 26-year-old fumbled Bale's speculative long-range shot into the net with seven minutes left on the clock, which sealed a 3-1 victory for Madrid and left the travelling Liverpool fans heartbroken.
Klopp moved swiftly to bring in Brazilian shot-stopper Alisson from Roma in a world-record deal that summer, and sent Karius out loan to Besiktas to rebuild his damaged reputation.
Karius received death threats after the final, and was widely blamed for Liverpool's defeat, but he believes that he failed to stand up for himself properly after being concussed by Sergio Ramos early in the contest.
“Believe me, I’ve learned a lot from that! In retrospect, I should have dealt with it more aggressively in public,” he told Sport Bild.
“I had a concussion after a blow from Sergio Ramos, which restricted my spatial vision. This was unequivocally ascertained in a detailed study by one of the world’s leading brain specialists.
“At first, I was happy to know what went on in this game. I didn’t want to make it public myself. 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.”
Karius added on the online abuse he was subjected to: “When I was just 24, I was in the Champions League final. Only Manuel Neuer and Marc-Andre ter Stegen were among the active German goalkeepers who had played in the final.
“All my efforts and good performances before were suddenly no longer relevant. The reactions were over the top and disrespectful, especially that it has been drawn out in this way. Errors are measured with different, even abnormal, dimensions and are not assessed fairly.
“We players face extreme hostility on the internet. If you read every message, you wouldn’t be able to sleep for two days. It’s insane what people say 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. You pay an admission [fee] and have the right to be dissatisfied. A professional has to endure that. If there are personal insults or death threats, the line is then crossed.
“There were some of them [death threats]. But I can’t take that seriously. These are people who write anonymously and don’t even show their faces in their profiles.”
