Luis Suarez can understand why Liverpool fans were ‘angry’ with him for wildly celebrating a goal against the Reds. The Uruguayan regularly lit up Anfield with his brilliance during an eventful three years on Merseyside following his arrival from Ajax before leaving for Barcelona in 2014.
He had to wait for his debut for the La Liga giants as he served a four-month ban for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at that summer’s World Cup in Brazil. Suarez went up against his former club in 2019 when Barcelona and Liverpool collided in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Suarez opened the scoring in the first leg at the Nou Camp and then upset travelling fans with his exuberant celebrations. There was more despair for Jurgen Klopp’s side as a Lionel Messi double seemingly put the tie out of reach, only for Liverpool to perform their remarkable second leg comeback to reach the final in Madrid, where they would lift the famous trophy for a sixth time after victory over Tottenham.
Suarez reflected on that first leg in a 2020 interview with Liverpool’s official website, admitting he understood the fans’ negative reaction to his celebrations: “I know some Liverpool supporters were angry with me because I celebrated a goal against Liverpool here in Camp Nou and for that I am so sad.
“I accept that and I say that hopefully they understand my situation: we were playing at home and in the Champions League semi-final. I lived one of the best moments of my life there [at Liverpool] and I think the supporters didn’t forget how my attitude was in the Liverpool shirt. Now hopefully they are so happy with the Premier League trophy this year.”
Suarez previously revealed the pain of missing out on the Premier League title in 2014 still lingers, saying: “In the last year when I played there at Anfield I was so sad for the supporters [that we missed out on the title].”
He also spoke about the bond he still shares with the club and the city, insisting: “Anyone who has ever played at Liverpool remains connected to the club for a lifetime. The team plays terrific football [under Klopp] and I am very interested to see how they do this year. I think we can still expect a lot.”
The 37-year-old, now a teammate of Messi at Inter Miami, recently retired from international football with 143 caps for his country. Since moving to Miami, Suarez has scored 21 goals in 30 appearances, including 17 in the MLS. In his 133 games for Liverpool, he netted 82 times, registered 34 assists and won one League Cup.
