Tuesday, 11th June, 2013
Liverpool could well have seen the last of Luis Suarez in their playing colours last season, as the striker insists the off-field treatment meted out to him is not something he can forget easily.
The Premier League has not been bereft of controversial players, but in Suarez’s case the incidents have come at such short intervals that the overall picture has left his character in a state of limbo.
His skills with the ball have been marvelled at but eight and 10-match bans for racist language and biting an opponent, respectively, coupled with accusations of diving have marred much of his Premier League spell.
And with reports of Real Madrid eager to make a move for the Uruguayan, Suarez, who is under contract at Anfield until 2018, appears to be at a tipping point in his professional career.
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"In Liverpool I’ve been with great players", Suarez, who has long complained of unfair treatment from the English press, told RR Gol. "They know me and I would love to continue many more years here.
"The stadium is great and the fans are phenomenal. After my suspension the people were pulling me aside and saying: ‘Luis, forget everything and stay’.
"But I cannot forget because it was something I suffered, and which my family suffered. Outside of football I have a family to support and those things hurt."
Suarez’s ban for using racist language towards Manchester United’s Patrice Evra came in the same season that John Terry was alleged to have behaved similarly towards Queens Park Rangers’ Anton Ferdinand.
Terry, who was cleared of criminal charges, was given a four-match ban by the Football Association, and Suarez is still seething at the perceived hypocrisy.
Suarez, who today claimed Real Madrid was a "dream" destination, added: "Without video proof I got an eight-game ban and Terry, with evidence and lip-reading, got four. I am South American and I think that comes as a result of all that.
"Since I arrived in England I have felt bad. I have never been valued for my game, but by the attitude that is pulled – protest, gestures, racism.
"So when I said he could be the best player in the Premier League, I meant: ‘I’m calm because I know that in England I’ll never get a major award’."
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