Bernd Leno has added his experience on the subject of social media abuse as more footballers become targets.
The German reveals that he stopped checking social media after a fan told him to end his life because of a poor performance.
Leno is one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League, but even the best players in the world have bad days.
Not every fan understands that and some resort to social media abuse of the player that has performed poorly.
Former Barcelona goalkeeper, Robert Enke had ended his own life after a battle with suicidal thoughts in 2009, and Leno reveals that a social media troll once told him to do likewise.
He stopped checking social media since then and revealed that it is a total waste of time and space with people on there trying to make you sad.
“Of course I have a lot of experience with that, here and also in Germany. There was one thing that kept in my mind, it was crazy,” Leno told Sky Sports News.
“I had a very bad game and then one guy on social media said to me ‘do it like Enke’.
“Since I read this I realise that there are so many stupid people on social media. That is the reason I don’t read it even when everything is good. I don’t need that, it doesn’t make me better, it is wasting time.
“There are so many fake people that hide behind their computers to make you feel bad. Many times with racism, abuse to families, I don’t like it, I don’t read it. It affects your life, what is the point?”
Disgraceful. These people really are the lowest of the low..
Disgraceful Sue. Messi lost the World Cup final in 2014, doesn’t make him less of a player!
Sorry but you’re a public figure. It’s not nice, but the world isn’t nice and you have to expect this kind of thing. Players use this stuff to raise their profile which can make them money – there is a cost to publicising yourself like that.
Binning the social media is a perfectly good and understandable reaction.
My life philosophy is to never give in to abuse and never accept that it will always be out there. But to fight it tooth and nail and lobby the politicians to pass the much talked about law to FORCE social media companies to reveal these creeps and then prosecute them and jail them.
We have the power to make those in charge act. We need, all of us,individually, the courage and determination to usethat power. Never give in to accepting abuse and never say – as the post above mine does, so woefully too – that it will always be there and that players and others must expect it. NO, THEY MUST NOT!
It can be got rid of and must be! Never accept racial and personal abuse by the mentally retarded creeps out there. Never, never, never! FIGHT AND DEFEAT THEM!
This is a good example – where is the line on what constitutes abuse? If we keep going like this, both of you would be guilty.
For what it’s worth (which I understand may not be much), my advice to you would be to take the things he has said very lightly – it’s just the internet
Exactly @Davi- Old Foxy likes to preach how superior he is when in reality he is no better than those who aimed their venom at Leno.His trouble has always been the fact that he has an opinion on everything and insists everyone hears it. But when he reads back exactly what he has written here he will see how yet again he has allowed himself to be embarrassed with his comments.
Perhaps one day he will learn. But I doubt it very much.
That’s sick!
Leno is a human being, after all, he can and he will keep making mistakes and there is no excuse to send anyone a message like this!
Leno has handled it perfectly in my opinion. People will say and do terrible things, why make a target of yourself.
Disconnect from social media platforms, change the channel, it’s simple.
Who decides what is acceptable speech? Where do you draw the line?
Are thought police next? No, Leno handled it perfectly, don’t play their game, starve them of the attention they so desperately seek.
Creeps and craps, football is a game afterall. Sometimes I feel Xhaka was right to tell done of the fans to f**k off. Leno disconnecting is good but there should be some form of prosecution too. There will always be a repeat if all these people get away with it. I mean get a life people, Rashford, Sterling, Xhaka, it’s a game you guys! Ithink ite just football. I don’t know but I don’t think anyone abuses Nadal for losing the US open final or Halmiton for loosing grand prix or even Tiger Woods for loosing a Masters