Diletta Leotta watches husband Loris Karius get mobbed by team-mates after stunning debut in first game in 371 days
LORIS KARIUS came out of the cold to a hot reception from wife Diletta Leotta in the stands – after 371 days without a game.
The former Liverpool and Newcastle keeper, 31, made his debut for German second-tier club Schalke six weeks after signing.
And his TV presenter partner posted glamorous pictures as she watched on from the impressive VELTINS-Arena, which regularly hosts sell-out crowds of 62,271.
Karius revealed afterwards he was delighted with his performance in a 1-0 win over Munster, having only played twice before since February 2021.
And Leotta looked just as pleased – as she saw the 31-year-old produce a string of classy saves before striker Pape Meissa Ba hit a late winner.
Karius’ wages are understood to be dwarfed by his wife’s.
Bild say he will pocket around £125,000 for his half-season deal – compared to the estimated £840k a year that Leotta earns as a star DAZN broadcaster covering Italy’s Serie A.
And she has a growing army of social media fans, including 9.1million followers, partly due to sharing snaps in incredible outfits from the Italian top flight.
But although Karius’ salary might be modest compared to his Premier League days, his focus is on reviving his career.
And after launching his Schalke stint with a clean sheet, he told German TV: “For a goalkeeper, it’s always good if you can distinguish yourself.
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“I tried to give the team security and to defuse what came at the goal.
“But that’s my job, I would be disappointed if I didn’t make those saves. That was fine for the debut.”
And Schalke boss Kees van Wonderen raved that Karius could “make the difference” for his mid-table Bundesliga 2 team.
Van Wonderen axed 24-year-old Justin Heekeren to give the ex-Manchester City youth his chance.
And The Athletic quote the Dutch manager as saying: “It’s always a difficult decision.
“But he’s been here for two months and today he showed that he can make the difference
“I’m happy for Schalke, for the team and for him. Our goalkeeper made the difference today.”
And as for Karius himself, having such dazzling support in the crowd can only help.