Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno says the level of abuse he received in the early days of his career means he now ignores all social media, stating there are many 'stupid people' on the platform.
Racial abuse towards footballers has gathered attention in recent weeks following a number of horrendous incidents, with a wealth of players targeted.
Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford was targeting after the goalless draw against Arsenal two weeks ago, while Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger was subject to abuse following the sacking of Frank Lampard.
Regarding the Gunners, a recent study found that Granit Xhaka had been subject to racial abuse and Hector Bellerin had received homophobic comments.
Pressure has been placed upon social media companies to do more to combat the regular abuse that is directed on the platforms and Leno has opened up on an incident that changed his approach.
As he explained, one fan told him to 'do it like Enke' - a reference to former Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke, who took his own life in 2009 following a battle with depression.
"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," he told Sky Sports.
"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?"
