Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has reiterated that, despite his admiration for the Merseyside club he is currently contracted to, he’s determined to leave not just Anfield but England as a whole behind.
It’s been a long last few months for the 26-year-old. He’s shown this past season that his talents in front of goal are a rare find and yet his mind continues to get in the way of his career.
“When I was a kid I dreamed of playing for Liverpool” Suarez said Tuesday. “I have been able to play with great players who know me well and I would love to spend many more years at Liverpool. After the suspension the fans all supported me. That’s something I remember and it has made me think, ‘Luis, forget it all and stay’. But I cannot forget it, because I have suffered, my family have suffered, and away from football I have a family that supports me, and these things hurt them.”
Using an incident at a grocery store a week ago as an example, Suarez cited the country’s judgement of him as a person and not as a player for his motivation to leave and start anew.
“I was walking in a shopping centre near Manchester with my wife and daughter and three or four guys asked me for a photo” Suarez recounted. “While we were posing for it my wife said to me, ‘Luis, get out of the photo’. She noticed they were making biting gestures. Things like that get on your nerves. My wife was on the brink of tears and the blokes ran off laughing. You get tired of stuff like that.”
We get tired of your antics on the field too, Luis.
A few days ago, in an unintentionally humorous bit of irony, he had even blamed racism for the reasons he’s treated so harshly in England. “Without any proof, they gave me an eight-match ban (for racist remarks at Patrice Evra), but with (John) Terry, where they had proof, lip-readers, they gave him four. I’m South American and I think that’s the root of all of this.”
Despite the Uruguayan’s conviction to find a new home, manager Brendan Rogers stood his ground two weeks ago, saying he expects Suarez to honor his contract.
“People will want to take him, but I think we all recognise how integral he is. The owners have been absolutely unequivocal in their resolve in terms of wanting to keep him.”
Rogers did concede that “every player has their price” but a showdown between club and player does seem imminent.
Rumors have been swirling about Real Madrid’s interest in Suarez, but the player did confirm there has been no concrete offer as of yet. “I don’t know if I will become a Madrid player. The only thing I know is that I have a contract. Every player would like to play for a huge team and Real Madrid is a huge team. But everything that has been said so far is just speculation, I haven’t received any concrete offers.”
Suarez is scheduled to sit out the first six matches of the upcoming Premier League season due to the FA’s suspension following the Branislav Ivanovic biting incident.
