BARCELONA — Luis Suarez sobbed onstage as Barcelona put him through one last humiliation. It was bad enough that he had been made one of the scapegoats for embarrassments such as the 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, and discarded as deadwood despite having become the club’s third-highest scorer of all time.
But now he had to play nice sat next to the man who had signed his exit papers, Josep Bartomeu, at a farewell ceremony that was little more than keeping up appearances. Best friend Lionel Messi was far from impressed, taking to Instagram to slam the decision to oust the Uruguayan and later dubbing their gift to a rival club as “madness”.
Now 34, Suarez could be forgiven for taking the easy money in MLS after being linked to Inter Miami like Messi. Instead, though, he forced a move to Atletico Madrid, who he has now fired to the top of La Liga eight points ahead of his third-placed former employers while equalling the six-time Ballon d’Or winner for the Pichichi with 16 goals.
“I didn’t expect to be in this moment that I’m in with Atletico today, but I’m enjoying it a lot,” Suarez told ESPN last week. “I’m grateful because the coaching staff and my team-mates believe in me, they trust me, and that is something that you try to repay with goals.”
Centre-back Felipe says the feeling is mutual, and his impact is easy to see.
“Clearly Suarez has been one of the fundamental pieces behind Atletico’s success. You can see it by his numbers, as our top scorer,” he tells i. “He’s a super-experienced fellow, who adds a lot to the group day-to-day. He passes on advice to the younger players, to all the group, and he’s a very fun guy who doesn’t have problems with anyone. Obviously when you’re playing alongside someone like that, we all feel more secure. At the back, but not just the defence, the whole team… we know that when the ball gets to him, he’ll take care of it. That’s what’s been happening this season, and we need to maintain this confidence and leave him feeling comfortable.”
In the local press, Alvaro Gonzalez, who writes for Madrid daily AS and covers Atleti for the nightly Goles con Parrado radio show, concurs that Suarez’s impact “has been enormous because Atleti lacked that striker in recent years”.
“Neither [Alvaro] Morata nor [Diego] Costa assured as much effectiveness as we’ve witnessed from Suarez already in the first half of the season,” Gonzalez tells i. “The difference he has made can be seen at the top of the scoring charts and has meant many points for Atleti while he’s been key to them being able to fight for La Liga.”
The transfer has echoes of what happened with David Villa in 2013-14, and could easily be repeated in full. Barça froze the Spain legend out as well, and shipped him off for a paltry €5.1m (now £4.4m) only for him to help scoop Atleti’s first domestic crown in 18 years on the final match day at the Nou Camp.
There was a belief that what had occurred here was more bizarre, though. They had let Suarez leave scot-free, and even worse had paid up the remainder of his contract in full just to get shot. Before the weekend however, a report from Catalan paper Sport – who claim to have been privy to confidential documents – has detailed how Barça had “received €5m upfront for Suarez, with another €6m in potential add-ons, taking the total cost of the deal to €11m”.
The Blaugrana paying part of his wages while Atleti cover the rest, the €5m has in fact been knocked off what is still owed for Antoine Griezmann by the cash-strapped Catalans, but €2m has already been handed over for Suarez having completed 20 appearances.
Another €2m will be forthcoming if Suarez stays next season and hits similar targets, while that amount can also be earned if Chelsea are overcome in the Champions League round of 16.
Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Levante, just their second of the La Liga season, was a bump in the road. Yet Suarez will take courage from his unbeaten record in the competition against the Blues.
He hasn’t scored against them in Europe, but provided two assists for Messi as Barça beat them 3-0 at this stage in 2018 at the Nou Camp after the first leg in England finished 1-1.
As the only member of the squad to go all the way and lift the European Cup, his influence will again be positive, but as Gonzalez points out: “it takes more than one player to win it”.
He adds: “He can help, but without the support of the rest of the team it will be impossible. Against Chelsea, he can be decisive in the penalty box and with his forcefulness, and if Suarez is on song, he can be a differential factor in [Diego] Simeone’s favour.”
Atleti did the hard work last season by dumping holders Liverpool out at Anfield in the last 16, but then fell to RB Leipzig in Lisbon after Tyler Adams’s shot beat Jan Oblak in the 88th minute via a cruel deflection off Stefan Savic.
Even if they fail similarly this time out, Suarez swears he isn’t done yet and will bow out on his own terms.
“I hope that this year, next year and for however many years it is, I keep competing and giving my best, until you realise that you’ve gone as far as you can,” he said. “But no one will get rid of me. I’ll decide when I go.”
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3bwVGTx
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