Another bite of the cherry for Suarez

Erratic and unpredictable … and yet Luis Suarez is considered one of the best strikers in modern football. Suarez has come a long way since making his debut in 2003 as a youth player for Nacional. At 19, Suarez relocated to the Netherlands to play for Groningen before transferring to Ajax in 2007. He won his first trophy in 2010 — the KNVB Cup — while finishing the season as the league’s top scorer and was named Dutch Footballer of the Year. A year later, Suarez helped Ajax secure the Eredivisie title while also scoring his 100th goal for his Dutch club.

In 2011, Suarez made a switch to the English Premier League with Liverpool where he went on to win the League Cup in his first full season. In 2014, he was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year while also landing the Premier League’s Golden Boot for top scorer and sharing the European Golden Shoe with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Then came his move to Barcelona in a transfer worth €82.3 million (Dh330 million) making him one of the most expensive players in football history at that time. Often regarded as one of the best strikers in the world, especially after his move to Barcelona alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar, Suarez has won 16 trophies during his career. This includes five league titles, a Uefa Champions League and a Copa America with Uruguay.

Suarez creates goalscoring chances with his powerful shots, and that coupled with his remarkable technical abilities, he is known for his direct approach towards scoring goals. He is also known for his work rate on the field, and his quickness especially from the wings, makes him the ideal foil for creating scoring opportunities for his teammates. Most of the coaches he has worked under, including Harry Redknapp, Oscar Tabarez and Kenny Daglish, have not had particularly pleasing relationships with him. But that has not stopped any of them from considering Suarez as being one of the best strikers in the business today.

Despite all these attributes, the genius of Suarez has been curtailed due to his uncanny ability to be aggressive and rough with fellow players on the pitch as seen by a handful of biting incidents in the past. However, people of Uruguay have been more than forgiving towards their star due to the rough childhood he had to endure after his parents separated when he was just nine. And while he developed his football skills on the streets of Montevideo, he also had to work early before his switch to Europe.

Suarez is touted to blossom in Russia alongside striker partner Edinson Cavani as Uruguay prepare to battle Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the hosts in Group A during the 2018 World Cup.