Luis Suarez Childhood Story Plus Untold Biography Facts
Our Luis Suarez Biography Facts details his Childhood Story, Early Life, Parents, Family, Wife, Children, Personal Life and Lifestyle. We provide you with a complete analysis of his life story, starting from the early days of Luis Suarez to when he became famous.
Yes, everyone knows that he is the elite among forwards in the world. However, only a few consider the biography of Luis Suarez quite interesting. Now without further ado, let's get started.
Luis Suarez Early Life:
Luis Alberto Suarez Diaz was born on January 24, 1987 in Salto, Uruguay. He was the fourth of seven children born to his mother, Sandra Suarez, and father, Rodolfo Suarez (a former soldier and former football player).
Luis Suarez childhood photo - he is pictured in his hometown, Salto. Credits: Pinterest
Luis Suarez family
Regarding his family background and ethnicity, Suarez is a Uruguayan citizen of mixed race (African, Spanish and Uruguayan ancestry. Records also indicate that he had a black grandfather).
The football striker grew up in the Cerro area of Salto with his 7 brothers and not just one sister. Little Suarez had direct experience of poverty, but nevertheless lived a happy life, as his lower class family lived in complete peace in their village.
Like most kids his age at the time, Suarez was casually interested in soccer, which he played with his peers to have fun with his hometown's local team, Sportivo Artiga.
Luis Suarez (Middle Role) in Sports Artiga. Credits: FPCP
Suarez's family soon moved to the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo, after his father took a job at the El Trigal biscuit factory in Montevideo. The then 7 did not want to join the family and, as a consequence, remained in Salto for about a month with his loving grandmother, Mrs. Da Rosa.
Luis Suarez and friend with his Great Mama. Credits: The Sun.
Suarez later had no choice but to join the rest of his family after his mother took a job cleaning at Montevideo's central bus station called Tres Cruces.
Childhood
Luis Suarez was born in 1987, the biography of the future football player began in the second largest city of Uruguay - Salto. In total there were seven children in the family, Louis was the fourth. The personal life of the parents was unsuccessful, despite the large number of children. The father, a retired officer, after the family moved to the capital of Uruguay, decided to leave the family and go to another woman.
Luis Suarez as a child with his mother
The children remained to live with their mother, who tried to give the children everything they needed. A childhood photo of Suarez with his mother shows how much she loves her son. Mother was a sensitive, kind and intelligent woman. But, unfortunately, she was unable to give them a father's upbringing, so the boys soon began to misbehave at home and at school. It was especially difficult when they began adolescence.
Louis was no exception; he began to often run away from home, skip classes, study poorly, and became addicted to alcoholic beverages and bad company. Of course, if the father had been in the family, this most likely would not have happened. And although the boys continued to see their father sometimes, this turned out to be not enough. Louis was saved by the girl Sofia, whom he met at the age of fifteen; he fell in love with her at first sight.
Football player Luis Suarez
She was from a good family, a decent upbringing, and the young man realized that he needed to work a lot on himself in order to achieve her attention and affection. Then the young man came to his senses, stopped drinking alcohol, began to devote more time to study, and stopped visiting bars. Looking ahead, we can say that in 2020 Sofia and Louis will celebrate their ninth anniversary of marriage.
Interesting: Football player Igor Akinfeev: biography, personal life
Luis Suarez Education:
Suarez lived with his family in the La Commercial area of Montevideo and was enrolled in School No. 171 in Tres Cruces, which is a province of Montevideo.
Luis Suarez at school No. 171 in Tres Cruces. Credits: Daily Mail.
It was in Montevideo that the lucky one asked to be enrolled in the Urreta football club in La Blanqueada, a request that was made by the 8-year-old, despite the fact that his school in Tres Cruces had its own sports activities. The development has proven that young Suarez is not only confident in his football skills, but is also willing to develop them in a competitive environment. However, he found it difficult to adapt to the city lifestyle.
“... We arrived in a city where it is almost impossible to play barefoot on the grass, they also spoke differently and, of course, often laughed at me. But I had to get used to all this as best I could.” Disclosed by Suarez in the book Vamos Que Vamos.
While Suarez struggled to adapt, he suffered a severe blow due to his parents' separation when he was just 9 years old. In 4 years (when he was aged 15), a development would lead to him taking on a ridiculous job sweeping the streets of Uruguay to help raise money for his family, who no longer had a father figure.
Luis Suarez and big football: Ajax, Liverpool, Uruguay national team
The year Louis spent in the small town of Groningen allowed him to learn conversational Dutch and strengthen his athletic skills, honing his skills. In addition, the aspiring football player became famous in European sports circles, earning the respect of his colleagues for his perseverance and unbending willpower.
In 2007, Suarez moved to the Amsterdam club Ajax, where he appeared on the field in almost every match as a member of the national team. It was while playing for Ajax that he became famous throughout the world, forming three unique pairings with strikers, and also becoming a football player who scored more than 100 goals. The team's outstanding coaches repeatedly tried to deal with the athlete's temper and hot temper, but later realized that this was part of his successful game.
In 2011, Suarez accepted a lucrative offer from English Liverpool, which was received by Ajax fans with a huge amount of skepticism. Eminent football critics believed that Louis' professionalism was not comparable to the level of the game in Great Britain. But they soon had to admit they were wrong. The Uruguayan quickly joined the team, taking a leading position there. In March 2011, he received the title of Liverpool's best player. As of December 2013, Suarez is the team's highest paid player in the club's history.
Luis Suarez bit Ivanovic on the field
Luis Suarez was also invited to the Uruguay national team, in which he brought such brilliant results as the team reaching the 1/4 finals at the 2010 World Cup, championship at the Copa America in 2011 and reaching the 1/8 finals at the 2014 World Cup.
Luis Suarez Childhood Story - Early Career
Despite this, Suarez continued to play for Urreta and soon attracted the attention of scout Wilson Pires, who offered him the opportunity to build a professional football career with the youth team.
Luis Suarez in the National Youth Team. Credits: Liverpool Echo.
However, Suarez grew up to become a distracted teenager who lacked attention and began drinking and keeping bad company. He became such a distraction that he failed to secure promotion to National's seventh team and faced possible release.
“...At 12-14 I went through a stage where football was not suitable for me and I did not want to study. I didn't like training. I only liked to play games and it was very difficult for me to achieve anything. I got very angry. I was a rebel and it worked against me." Suarez's notes in the book Vamos Que Vamos.
Thanks to his goal, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid
Eurofootball
Barcelona won the match at home - 2:1 - against their bitter enemy Real Madrid, and these three points quite possibly decided the outcome of the battle for the gold of the Spanish championship in its favor. And the decisive goal scored by Luis Suarez against Madrid most likely finally convinced both the leaders of the Catalan club and its fans that an amount close to €100 million was not spent on the Uruguayan forward last summer in vain.
El clasico - matches between two giants of Spanish football - turns out to be different. They can be tense, but boring. In the next el clasico, however, there was absolutely no place for boredom and melancholy on the Camp Noe field, and it will join the list of the most beautiful and hottest in history.
Real Madrid, which defeated Barcelona 3:1 in the previous match at home last fall, started the next one very vigorously. So cheerful that he almost opened the scoring when Cristiano Ronaldo volleyed home a pass from Karim Benzema.
Meanwhile, Barcelona struggled in attack. It didn’t work on the right flank for Lionel Messi. On the left, Neymar constantly bumped into Dani Carvajal. And in the center, Pepe held Luis Suarez with a tight grip... And at the same time, in the middle of the first half, the Catalans still scored a goal from an ordinary-looking standard. Having adapted to dealing with Barcelona forwards, Real Madrid players, it seems, did not at all expect cunning from defender Jeremy Mathieu, who dived onto Messi’s cross.
Real Madrid, however, did not lose for so long. Having survived a lunge from Neymar, who had leaned into Iker Casillas, he played an exemplary combination - wide, rhythmic, with a spectacular ending in the form of a subtle backheel pass from Benzema to Ronaldo bursting into the penalty area. The Ballon d'Or winner poked the ball past Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo from the toe of his boot.
Barcelona were lucky to go into the break with the score tied. Real were good at the end of the half and could have hit the goal a couple of times. Even, or rather, he hit them, but Gareth Bale's goal was canceled due to a not so obvious offside.
The main episode of this meeting was the one that happened a little over ten minutes after the break. “Barcelona” tested the options and for the next attack chose what seemed to be the simplest one. Dani Alves, moving forward, threw the ball from the center of the field towards the penalty area. And Suarez, who had previously been generally closed, performed a luxurious number that literally consisted of two movements. One moves the ball a little to the side, the other, from under Pepe, who still missed the Uruguayan, places it in the corner.
“Few players are capable of this. That’s why we signed Suarez - he’s one of those who makes a difference,” Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said after the match, and how could you argue with him?
On the contrary, it’s funny now to remember that until relatively recently, Luis Suarez was considered almost a selection mistake by the club. Yes, he strengthened it, added more colors to the otherwise bright composition. But was it worth spending so much money for this? And the transfer of Suarez from Liverpool cost Barcelona, according to some sources, €94 million.
In March, the Uruguayan himself gave a fairly clear answer to this question: of course, it was worth it. In the end, thanks to him, Barcelona came close to two titles in the first month of spring. In the 1/8 finals of the Champions League, Suarez, in fact, immediately put an end to Manchester City’s hopes of fighting with the Barcelona team when he brought his team an away victory - 2:1, after which they could play at home relaxed, without fear of a blunder. Now he destroyed Real, again “making a difference.” He, having conceded, looked, by the way, against the backdrop of Barcelona, which was raging in the second half, so-so and could well have lost bigger.
And this success turned the Catalans’ position in the championship into a very strong one. Before this weekend, Barcelona were only one point ahead of Real Madrid. Now she is ahead by four - and this is a good start before the final stretch of ten rounds.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, however, was brave after the current meeting, calling for attention to how great his team played in the first half, and promised not to give up in the fight for gold until the end. But, presumably, Ancelotti’s soul is now scratching its head. At least Real Madrid had a bad March. Of the four national championship matches that came his way, he won only one - against Levante, losing in addition to Barcelona to Atlético Madrid and drawing with Villarreal. It would not be surprising if the losses suffered in the first month of spring ultimately prevent him from taking the championship title.
Alexey Dospehov
Next rounds of European national championships
Spanish Championship
28th round.
Barcelona - Real Madrid 2:1 (Mathieu, 19; Suarez, 56 - Ronaldo, 31).
Team position.
1. Barcelona - 68 points. 2. Real Madrid - 64. 3. Valencia - 60. 4. Atlético - 59. 5. Sevilla - 55. 6. Villarreal - 49.
Italian Championship
28th round.
Napoli - Atalanta 1:1 (Zapata 89 - Pinilla 72).
Udinese - Fiorentina 2:2 (Vage, 15; Panagiotis Kone, 62 - Mario Gomez, 50, 53). Lazio - Verona 2:0 (Felipe Anderson, 4; Candreva, 45+2). Sampdoria - Inter 1:0 (Eder 65). Cesena - Roma 0:1 (Rossi, 41). Team position.
1. Juventus - 67 points. 2. Roma - 53. 3. Lazio - 52. 4. Sampdoria - 48. 5. Napoli - 47. 6. Fiorentina - 46.
French Championship
30th round.
“Lance” — “Marseille” 0:4 (Bachuay, 46, 90+3; Romao, 67; Andre Ayew, 72).
Team position.
1. PSG - 59 points. 2. Lyon - 58. 3. Marseille - 57. 4. Monaco - 53 (after 29 matches). 5. Saint-Etienne - 52. 6. Bordeaux - 48.
Luis Suarez Road to Fame Biography History:
Wilson Pires (who had previously brought Suarez into the national youth team) came to Suarez's aid, offering him another opportunity to get his act together and prove himself at the club. Young Suarez took the opportunity and acted accordingly, realizing that he could help his family in the future and also get a fancy football boot if he stuck to football.
“I thought about my family, my brothers and decided that I could help them if I go far in football... I need to get this over with... I also looked at some of my teammates who started training with their boots and thoughts on; “If you want these boots, you have to train” Notes from Suarez in the book Vamos Que Vamos.
Biography of Luis Suarez - history of Glorification:
Thus, Suarez rose through the ranks of Nacional and in 2005, helping his side win the 2005–06 Uruguayan League with 10 goals in 27 matches. Subsequently, his impressive performances earned him moves to Groningen, Ajax, Liverpool and finally to Barcelona, where he was signed for £64.98 million (82.3 million) and became one of the most expensive players at the time.
Luis Suarez signed for Barcelona in 2014. Credits: ESPN.
The rest, as they say, is history.
The beginning of Suarez's football career
The peculiarities of Suarez's playing style did not go unrecognized, and in 2005 he signed his first official contract with the Uruguayan football club Nacional, where he showed himself in one year, scoring 10 goals in serious matches.
Playing in a local team was not the ultimate dream of Louis; he passionately wanted to join one of the football clubs in Europe. His desire was easily explained by the fact that the athlete’s girlfriend Sofia went to study in Barcelona, and separation from her turned out to be unbearable for Suarez. And the cherished wish turned out to be fulfilled thanks to a happy coincidence of circumstances.
Luis Suarez - Count Dracula or Hannibal Lecter? In 2006, scouts from the Dutch club Groningen arrived in Uruguay to look at another football player, and on the way back they decided to look at Nacional’s game with another team. It was there that they turned their attention to Luis, who admits that this match was his best game of his entire time at Nacional. It didn't take long for Groningen's representatives to realize that they needed this young and talented footballer. At the end of the match, he was made an offer to join the Dutch club and Suarez, without hesitation for a minute, agreed. He was not embarrassed either by the presence of a language barrier or by the fact that he did not have the slightest idea about “Groningen”.
Luis Suarez Relationship Life- Wife and Children:
Luis Suarez is a married man. We bring you details about his dating history and family life, including how he met and married his wife Sofia Balbi. For starters, there are no records of Suarez's past relationships, as he is only known to be with his current partner for decades.
Suarez met Sofia Balbi when he was a troubled 15-year-old trying to establish himself in the Nacional youth team. It was Sofia who offered Suarez support, encouragement and kept him focused during that time.
Luis Suarez has been in a relationship with Sofia Balbi since 2002. Credits: Ovación.
Although the lovebirds were separated for a while after Sofia's father moved with the entire family to Spain, they were reunited again after Suarez convinced Sofia's parents to let her join him in the Netherlands while he was with FC Groningen (between 2006 -2007). The duo took their relationship to the extreme level by getting married two years later in 2009.
Suarez and Sofia married in March 2009. Credits: Twitter
Their marriage is blessed with three lovely children, daughter Delphine (born on August 5th, 2010), born Benjamin (born on September 26, 2013), and also Lauti (born on October 24th, 2010).
Luis Suarez and family. Credits: Instagram.
Personal life
Luis Suarez fulfilled his childhood dream and became a famous football player. There are many victories in his sports biography, but he considers the greatest victory to be the one he won in his personal life. The young man sought the heart of his beloved for a long time. Louis turned out to be a monogamous man and could not forget the girl he saw as a child. She helped him become a real person, get rid of bad habits and bad company. After all, otherwise she would not have looked at him.
With wife Sophie and daughter
Suarez managed to win the heart of the girl of his dreams, and in 2009 they got married. A year later, the couple had a daughter, who was named Delphine. And three years later, Sofia gave birth to her husband’s son, he was given the name Benjamin. The happy family celebrates its ninth anniversary in 2020. Louis often posts photos of his wife, children, and vacations together on networks.
The footballer admits that for him family is more important than sporting success, and he is even ready to give up his career for the sake of his loved ones.
It is worth noting that Luis’s older brother, Paolo, also became a professional football player. He is currently with the Isidro Metapan team.
In addition to his football activities, Louis is a sponsor of the famous sportswear and footwear company Adidas.
Luis Suarez Family Life:
Suarez was born into a large family of 9. We provide you with factual information about his family members.
About Suarez's mother: Luis Suarez's mother is no other person than Sandra Diaz. Sandra, like most mothers, is close to her son and has vivid childhood memories despite raising 6 other children. Although Suarez and his mother are hard to see in the photo, she is despite being his greatest supporter and once defended the football genius after he was accused of making Nazi remarks against Patrice Evra. She also has a new husband with whom she lives happily.
About Suarez's father: Luis Suarez's father is Rodolfo Suarez. Rodolfo is a former soldier and former football player who played for Deportivo Artigas. Contrary to widespread reports, Rodolfo did not abandon his children after divorcing Suarez's mother. He remained close even after he started a new marital relationship with his new partner Caroline.
“There is always a good atmosphere between us. We go to parties together and have a great time. There are no hard feelings between us. We're a very close family." Rodolfo said to the Sun.
Luis Suarez's father is Rodolfo Suarez. Credits: Sun.
About Suarez's siblings: Suarez has 6 brothers. They include Paolo, Giovana, Leticia, Luis, Maxi and Diego. Little is known about the siblings, other than the older one, Paul, who currently plays for the Salvadoran sports club AD Isidro Metapán.
Paolo is the eldest of the Suarez brothers. Credits: thefinalball.com
Lionel Messi's Five Best Football Friends
Lionel Messi is loved all over the world, but only a few can boast of being friends with him. We have collected five players with whom the Argentine striker spends (or previously spent) a lot of time, not only on the field, but also off it.
Neymar
Neymar has said more than once that he literally idolizes Lionel and often tells him about it personally. Messi, in one of his interviews, admitted that he feels awkward from the Brazilian’s fan love.
Read also: Fans ridiculed Neymar's return to Barcelona
However, this did not interfere with their friendship during their performance in Barcelona. Their partner Ivan Rakitic once said that “despite their different characters, they harmonize perfectly on the field. It may seem like an exaggeration, but Messi, Neymar and Suarez are best friends. They may be the best friends in the history of football."
Even now, when Neymar moved to PSG, they continue to call and correspond, and the Brazilian admits that he really misses Messi and Suarez, often visiting them.
Dani Alves
“In Barcelona I maintain good relations with everyone. But my best friend in the team is Dani Alves. We have been playing together on the right wing since he arrived at Camp Nou. Over these 7 years we have spent a lot of time together not only on the field, but also off it. This is how our great friendship began. She helps us a lot during matches,” Messi said in 2020 about his relationship with Dani Alves.
Dani Alves moved to Juventus, and from there to PSG. Messi has new friends at the club with whom he spends time, but they still maintain their friendship with the Brazilian.
Luis Suarez
Barcelona did not hide the fact that the team's success in previous seasons lay in the friendship of the three strikers off the field. Neymar left the team, but Messi and Luis Suarez remained.
Read also: Barcelona stars threw a party for son Messi on his birthday
They are friends not only with each other, but with their families. Their wives Antonella Roccuzzo and Sofia Balbi share a shoe store in Barcelona and their families often spend holidays together when Barcelona has a day off.
Cesc Fabregas
Cesc Fabregas is one of Lionel Messi's closest friends. They both played together in Barcelona at the famous La Masia academy before the Spaniard moved to Arsenal. They later reunited again in Barcelona.
Read also: Fabregas brought a gift from Messi to England
Now Fabregas plays in Chelsea, but Messi and his wife often come to see him in London, and their families often spend vacations together.
Cesc was once asked if he would like Messi to move to Chelsea and they would play together.
“I would like that. Why not? I would love to play with him on the same team again. But I think that for his contribution to the development of the team, Lionel deserves the right to end his career in Barcelona. Messi is a legend and he changed the history of Barca. But I would really like to see him at Chelsea,” Fabregas said.
Sergio Aguero
They are not just good friends - they are also relatives, because Messi is the godfather of Aguero Jr. And since the time they played in the Argentine youth team, they have always lived in the same room.
“If one of us is not at the team’s location, the other will live in room one. The last time Messi was not in the national team, he wrote me a message: “Who did they add to you?” I sent a reply message: “Don’t worry, my love, I’m here alone!” And he wrote to me: “See, don’t cheat on me!”
“When I met Messi for the first time, I didn’t know about him at all. The only thing that caught my eye was his incredible boots. I looked at him and asked: “Excuse me, what is your name?” He replied: "Leo." I asked again: “Leo. What kind of Leo? “Lionel,” he replied. - Lionel Messi". Then I suddenly remembered this name, because I heard about a guy from Rosario who moved to Barcelona. “Over time, we became like brothers,” Aguero wrote about his friendship with Messi in his autobiography.
They constantly write off, call back; It is known that Leo persuaded the Barcelona management to acquire Sergio and was seriously angry when the bosses preferred Neymar.
Personal life of Luis Suarez:
Luis Suarez has grown over the last decade to become one of the most controversial and widely underrated players in football. Few people realize that his actions are based on his poor childhood experiences and the difficult life events of his teenage years. The player who originally grew up learning to win and celebrate victories has not deviated from the path of victory because he hates losing with a passion.
“When I was a kid, I never liked losing. From the age of seven I started doing competitions and things like that, and I never liked losing.” He opened for the Daily Mail. Below is a rare video of one of Suarez's childhood competitions.
As the years passed, Suarez became a teenager with a bad temper who became frustrated with the situations around him, especially his parents' divorce, economic difficulties and his inability to obtain football boots when he desperately needed them. Thus he developed a mild monstrous persona and became one who would trade morals to do what he knew best; victories.
“I even want to win by playing games with my wife Sophia and children. I can not do anything. He admitted to the Daily Mail.
Despite this, Suarez has an unusual personality, portraying him as an ideal friend to many, as well as a loving husband and father. In the same light, he has body tattoos that convey his appreciation for family. His hobbies include playing video games and spending time with his family.
Luis Suarez Lifestyle:
Suarez is not a fan of show business, despite having an estimated net worth of $70 Million. Likewise, his exquisite homes in the United Kingdom and Uruguay receive little attention from the press, which focuses solely on his career and the controversies surrounding it. However, he has often been seen driving various brands of cars, including Range Rover Sports SUV, BMW, Cadillacs and Audis.
Suarez has various versions of Audis in his car collections. Credits: YallaMotor.
Luis Suarez Unknown Facts:
Fact #1: Suarez headbutted a referee for giving him a red card when he was 16 years old in the Nacional youth team.
Fact #2: He was found guilty of beating up opposing players three times. The first was during his professional career at Ajax, when he bit Otman Bakka of PSV. Subsequent victims included Chelsea player Branislav Ivanovic, while Suarez was with Liverpool, and the Italy defender. Giorgio Chiellini during the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Chiellini is the third victim of Suarez's bites. Credits: Gfycat.
Fact #3: While he was at Liverpool, he became the first player in Premier League history to score three hat-tricks against the same club, Norwich City.
Fact #4: He was found guilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra, a decision that Suarez still disputes to this day.
Fact #5: Ranking of the Spanish football site El Gol Digital
Ranked as the world's fifth dirtiest player, Suarez was widely accused of diving and admitted he had committed a terrible act.
Suarez is famous for diving.
Credits: Gfycat. Fact #6: Suarez ended the six-year reign of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi by winning La Liga's Pichichi Trophy in 2016.
Luis Suarez: the man who almost snatched the championship
January 31, 2011 was an eventful day for Liverpool. Anfield favorite Fernando Torres turned into an overnight pariah, deciding to move to Chelsea after three and a half years at the club. Losing a leading striker on the final day of the transfer window is not a pleasant development, but Liverpool have done everything possible to minimize the damage. The Spaniard went to Chelsea for 58.5 million euros, and the Reds spent 67.5 million to replace him.
Most of it - 41 million euros - went to Newcastle for, perhaps, the main hope of English football at that time - Andy Carroll. The 22-year-old forward became a real sensation in the Premier League in the first part of the season, scoring 11 goals in 19 matches. As Andy admits years later, he did not want to move to Liverpool, hoping to fail his medical examination. Who knew it then?.. The Briton was expected to continue his heroics in the form of Liverpool, and he had everything to become a cult hero at Anfield.
There were much more doubts about the transfer of the little-known Luis Suarez, even despite his good background in the Netherlands. There, the Uruguayan, playing alongside Evgeniy Levchenko in Groningen, scored 10 goals in the Eredivisie in the 2005/06 season and earned a move to Ajax. Over three and a half years in Amsterdam, Louis managed to score 111 goals in 158 matches. The figure was solid, but the example of Afonso Alves was still fresh in my memory. The forward, who tore apart the Eredivisie as part of Heerenveen, moved to Middlesbrough for 20 million euros as a player for the Brazilian national team, but disappointed in England (13 goals in 57 matches) and ingloriously left for Qatar.
Even then, Luis Suarez's poor reputation did not add to optimism - constant yellow cards, a conflict with teammate Albert Luque over the right to take a free kick, the bite of Ottman Bakkal from PSV... The only thing that was captivating was the Uruguayan's desire to win trophies, and not get huge money somewhere in Eastern Europe. “I refuse offers from clubs such as Zenit and Shakhtar. I want to win trophies, not bags of money,” Louis once said.
A few days after moving to England, Luis Suarez came on as a substitute in a match against Stoke City. 16 minutes - and El Pistolero scores his debut goal for the club, elegantly dribbling past Asmir Begovic. Despite a promising start, Luiz added only three Premier League goals until the end of the championship.
In the summer, Suarez helped Uruguay win the Copa America for a record 15th time. The forward scored four goals, one of which was in the final against Paraguay (3:0), and was recognized as the best player of the tournament.
And on October 15, 2011, the name of Luis Suarez thundered throughout the world. And this had nothing to do with Luisito’s football talents. Manchester United defender Patrice Evra told reporters after the 1-1 draw that Suarez insulted him racially, saying the very N-word at least ten times. Such charges are a very serious matter in England and can result in a long ban. Liverpool came to the defense of their player. Louis tried to prove that he did not mean anything offensive and did not want to offend anyone, but ultimately received an eight-match suspension.
The Reds did not give up on their striker even after he was found guilty: before the match against Wigan, the team went to training wearing T-shirts with the image of Luiz. Shortly after completing his suspension, Suarez was again due to play against Manchester United. It all resulted in a scandal with handshakes - the Uruguayan did not shake Evra’s hand, although there is an opinion that the culprit was the Frenchman, who removed his hand before that.
After the game, Patrice began to celebrate the victory right in front of Luis, but he simply indifferently went into the tribune - unlike the other players, who staged a small brawl.
Remember when Evra celebrated in front of Suarez at Old Trafford. How good was the Premier League a few years ago! pic.twitter.com/f7lc9yPuWQ
— DAB Over 1.5 Goals (@1point5goals) January 11, 2019
Football-wise, it was mediocre: 11 goals in 31 Premier League matches, three of which came against Norwich. That same season, Suarez won his only trophy with Liverpool, the League Cup. He scored three goals in that tournament, but did not score in the final in 120 minutes of play. The post-match penalties were taken by other people - 2:2 (3:2) in favor of the “reds”.
In the summer of 2012, Kenny Dalglish was sacked, and Liverpool was led by 39-year-old Brendan Rodgers, who had a good track record at Swansea. It's time to see the real Suarez.
A wonderful free-kick goal for Man City (remember how he argued over standards in Ajax with Luque), another hat-trick against Norwich - Suarez began to score a lot and with style. By March, he had scored more than 20 goals, something only Robbie Fowler and Fernando Torres had previously achieved at Liverpool. Louis was nominated for the title of best player of the season in the Premier League (which ultimately went to Gareth Bale from Tottenham), and... not without another scandal.
The Uruguayan literally showed his teeth in the match against Chelsea. Remember what Suarez did at Ajax with Ottman Bakkal? During the struggle in the penalty area, Luis could not find anything better than to test the strength of Branislav Ivanovic's shoulder with his teeth. The referee missed the moment, so Louis played out the match until the end and scored the saving goal in the 97th minute (2:2), and only after that he received a ten-game disqualification for biting.
During his entire time in Liverpool, Louis did not miss a single match due to injury, but he missed 19 due to three disqualifications.
That game could well have been Suarez's last in Liverpool. The Uruguayan, who was forced to miss six starting matches of the next season, was eager to leave the club, which took only seventh place in the Premier League. 30 goals in 44 games was enough to attract the attention of the strongest clubs in Europe.
Luis did not hesitate to flirt with Real Madrid, and then was not against moving even to Arsenal, which plays in the Champions League. Everyone still remembers the story of how the Gunners offered 40 million and one pound for him. Liverpool owner John Henry only ironically asked: “What do you think they’re smoking there on the Emirates?” The club's position was clear: Suarez is not for sale.
Ultimately, the relationship with Steven Gerrard played a major role. “Stay for one season and then you can go to Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, wherever you want,” is a brief retelling of Stevie G’s conversation with the Uruguayan. And Luiz stayed to help the Reds achieve what was, until recently, their best Premier League season of the 21st century.
Suarez returned to the field in the League Cup match against Manchester United, but failed to save the Reds from relegation - 0:1. The return to the Premier League was much happier - two goals against Sunderland (3:1), a goal in the first home match against Crystal Palace (3:1). Until the end of the season, El Pistolero would consistently shoot at the opponents’ goal, and three rounds before the end of the campaign at Anfield they dreamed of the first championship since 1990.
Liverpool had a three-point lead over Manchester City with only three moves left to make against Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Newcastle. The biggest challenge came from the Blues, who were third, five points behind. It is still impossible to forget Steven Gerrard's fall in the center of the field - after which Demba Ba opened the scoring in the match. And already in the last minute of the second half, Willian, after a pass from Fernando Torres, cleared up questions about the winner - 2:0. Manchester City defeated Crystal Palace and came out on top thanks to a 12-goal better goal difference. Liverpool had to win the remaining matches and hope for the “citizens” to misfire.
By the 55th minute the Reds were beating Palace 3-0. But do you remember City's advantage in goal difference? Liverpool went to score more and were severely punished. 3:3, and the championship became possible only with a victory over Newcastle and the defeat of the “citizens” by West Ham. Liverpool won their match, but no miracle happened - City also won. The Reds remained second. Suarez only had to console himself with awards for the best player in the Premier League, both according to the players and journalists.
In the summer of 2014, Liverpool had virtually no hope of keeping Luis Suarez. He went to the World Cup while still a player for the Reds and got into another scandal there, biting the Italian Giorgio Chiellini. FIFA punished the Uruguayan repeat offender to the fullest extent, suspending him from any football activities for four months.
However, this did not prevent the transfer. The 3.5-year cycle of another great Reds forward has come to an end. That summer, Luis Suarez left for Barcelona, leaving behind not only wonderful football memories in the form of 82 goals in 132 matches and an unexpected fight for the championship, but also 82 million euros in the club's coffers.
Evgeniy Muzyka, Football.ua
