Luis Suarez reveals emotions after Liverpool transfer to Barcelona

Luis Suarez: Could have joined Real

Former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has admitted he “cried” when Barcelona said they still wanted to sign him after the World Cup biting incident.

Suarez, 30, said he thought his dream move from Liverpool to Barca was off after he was banned for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the Brazil World Cup in 2014.

The Uruguay forward joined Barcelona for £75million in July 2014 – after the World Cup, but he admits the first contact with Barca was during the tournament.

“It was right then — there at the World Cup. It was during the World Cup period,” said Suarez when asked when he spoke to the La Liga giants.

 

Suarez told the Players’ Tribune: “It was everything – in addition to thinking about the World Cup, and being able to fulfil my dream to come here to Barca – everything had gone overboard for me.”

“The truth is, it was a very, very painful moment for me, for the team, and obviously, what happened, it affects you. It hurts you and all that.”

Suarez says he spoke to Barcelona a few days after the moment of madness with Chiellini and “they told me to be calm because Barca still wanted me”.

“And I have no problem saying it, I cried,” added Suarez. “Because, they were accepting, and me going through what I did in that moment… it was complicated to trust in me.”

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Suarez had asked to leave Liverpool the previous summer, but after serving a 10-game ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Invanovic, he went on to sign a new contract at Anfield.

Suarez, whose relationship with the English media and fans had been strained, also admits scoring twice against England in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup was one of his biggest moments in football.

“I remember the day of the injury, when the stuff about the possible surgery came out in the English headlines, there were, you know, the typical things: ‘Eh, hope the recovery goes slow’ and so on, for me not to make the game.

“And well, playing against them and scoring two goals, truth is, for me, it was the most emotional moment I’ve lived in my career as a national team player, regardless of the titles and the previous World Cups – for everything, for what my recovery meant, and of the trainer who was with me,” added Suarez.

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