When Barcelona take on Juventus in the Champions League final this weekend, Luis Suarez will come up against two players who are firmly linked to a past he wishes he and the world were able to forget – two players who remind him of all the evil of which he is capable.
Suarez has since buried the hatchet with both players. The Uruguayan finally shook hands with Patrice Evra in his last meeting with Manchester United, having been charged with racially abusing the French full-back, while Giorgio Chiellini has publically stated that he has no issues with the Liverpool star after the biting incident at the World Cup, which saw the latter banned for four months.
Yet there will still be abhorrence for the striker. His past antics on the pitch have done him no favours, with a rap sheet consisting of persistent diving, racial abuse, biting and allegedly head-butting a referee as a teen.
Off the pitch, however, we hear nothing about Suarez. No bar-fights, extra-marital scandals or generally unsavoury behaviour. He’s a family man, as supported by many who know him and play alongside him.
As far as Liverpool were concerned, they had to take the good with the bad. Suarez’s tenacity and hunger during matches, along with his superior technique, are what made him the bane of many a defender in the Premier League. Any disciplinary issues were an unfortunate by-product.
So if things get testy in Berlin, can we expect any nefarious behaviour? No, because Suarez is not the same player that he was in Brazil. His transfer to Barcelona was a new beginning for him. Four months out gave him time not only to seek psychological help, but to reboot himself as a footballer. Suarez was a changed man.
But with a poor reputation and a reported €94m price tag on his head, the Catalans new No 9 would have to do something exceptional to show the Camp Nou faithful he was worth every penny.
In his first match back, he set up Neymar for the opening goal against Real Madrid, a match they eventually lost. Slipping into the Barca style of play is far from easy, and the attacker found goals hard to come by early on. In fact, his first La Liga goal didn’t come until mid-December.
However his selfless attitude in front of goal has made Suarez a delight to play alongside. As part of a fluid front three, affectionately known as the MSN, the 28-year-old has laid off 17 assists, in one instance squaring the ball to Lionel Messi, despite having the net all to himself.
Then the goals came. Liverpool and Ajax fans alike would attest to the brilliance of Suarez with a football at his feet, and sure enough he soon found a lethal touch in the opposing box. He scored a superb bicycle kick against Levante and a stunning hat-trick against Cordoba as he endeared himself to the Barca fans. His 16 League goals saw him finish eighth in the race for the Pichichi, while he managed 24 overall, a total he can increase in Berlin.
Barcelona have finally given Suarez what he has longed for his whole career – trophies. A League title and Copa del Rey is not too bad for seven months’ work, and he could take his silverware haul to three on Saturday.
Victory in Berlin would be the realisation of a dream that Suarez has held for years, a dream which pushes him – sometimes too far – in each and every match, and hopefully it’s the football that takes centre stage and no off the ball antics.
Perhaps once again, Chiellini and Evra may both prove to be a point of frustration for Suarez if they are able to stop the South American and his cohorts, taking the famous trophy for themselves. But in many ways, Suarez is already a winner.
