Luis Suárez: A New Lease of Life

Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz found himself out of favour at FC Barcelona towards the end of the 2019-2020 season, aged 33 and feeling lost in a club that he had made his home. There is no doubt in his mind that he left his mark on a team synonymous with the one, and only, Leo Messi. Yet, with extra mileage on the clock and wages stacking high, even the romanticists of the Barcelona board could do nothing except allow another of their legends to move on. This was, of course, a decision if nothing but sped-up in the aftermath of the 8-2 battering Barca received against FC Bayern Munich in the UCL Quarter Finals on 14th August 2020. A disappointed season for the Catalan Giants that left Suárez without a club and Leo Messi weighing up his options. The two Latin American boys struck a great partnership on and off the pitch since Luis joined back in 2014 from Liverpool. A deep connection that we could all see laid bare when Messi put into words his distain in seeing his good friend let down by the club they led to glory: “You deserved a farewell befitting who you are: one of the most important players in the history of the club, achieving great things for the team and on an individual level... You did not deserve for them to throw you out like they did. But the truth is that at this stage nothing surprises me any more.” Luis was gone and Leo was left without his amigo.

Capital Calling

Having become a fan favourite at Ajax, Liverpool and FC Barcleona, Luis was forced to close this chapter, assess his options and get himself out there. At this time of any career when being asked to move on, the opportunity of 'one last big move' usually surpasses. However, Luis' career was and is still unlike most players. Koeman may have thought El Pistolero's legs were shot, but there were many big teams sniffing around to offer him a lifeline. There was plenty of talk of a move to Turin, where Andrea Pirlo was looking for an experienced professional with a ruthless streak to enhance them in a bid to be within a shout of UCL glory. Talks became meetings and it all looked set to happen, then in true Suárez fashion; controversy took the centre stage. There was talk of an illegal attempt to gain Italian Citizenship and the Old Lady cooled their interest soon after.

Lurking in the shadows were Atléti, ready to take a punt on a new number 9. Diego Simeone, known for his own polemic past, got in touch with Luis to set out a blueprint for how to get their first La Liga title since the '13-'14 season. Diego 'El Cholo' Simeone praised Luis' "desire and energy" in getting the title to the red and white of the capital, Madrid. Atléti, known comically in Spain as 'El Pupas' (the jinxed ones) for their infamous bad luck, would take the risk on one of the most volatile and galvanizing forces Europe had ever seen. On 23rd September, Luis was unveiled after agreeing a two-year deal. In a country where it is custom to sell out stadiums just to welcome a new star, it would have been a sight to see the Atlético fans relishing in seeing a former villain adorn their colours. If the pandemic prevented us from seeing his inauguration, then time will tell how he will be remembered after his tenure in Madrid.

A fresh challenge at La Wanda

Signing on the 23rd, starting on the 27th, Luis' importance to Simeone was established from game-week one. With Morata having been successful in his move to Juventus, Luis was straight into the squad for the first La Liga game against Granada FC at the Wanda Metropolitano (original GW1 and GW2 against Cádiz and Levante postponed due to COVID precautions). Star boy Joao Felix started up top with another veteran striker in Diego Costa, giving Atleti's number 9 a start on the bench- as if he needed more motivation, pfft. Making his debut on the 70' minute for Costa, Suárez took just 2 minutes to register his first goal contribution for his new team, setting up Marcos Llorente. This wasn't enough for our Luis. On the 85' minute he would get on the scoresheet himself, with Marcos returning the favour. For good measure, and much to Simeone's delight, Luis struck again in extra time to seal a flattering 6-1 side for Atleti. It was the start of something new and would set the benchmark for what was to come. El Pistolero was shooting on sight.

After this dream debut, the season would have a stop-start nature due to the resumption of international breaks. His lightening start seemed to be stunted with two 60-70 minute cameos against Huesca and a new-look Vilarreal side where he would shoot blank and his side left with two goalless draws. However, the key here was that he got the nod over club legend, Diego Costa, a move by Simeone that would be the precursor for his departure from the clubs some months later.

After the first set of internationals, Suárez struck early against Celta Vigo in a 2-0 win against a side that proved a tough nut to crack in recent seasons. In the next game week he would add another to his tally in another 2-0 win, this time against Real Betis. Atleti were climbing the table, despite a stuttering start in the UCL, all thanks to their new talisman. With Atleti putting together a string of gritty performances, results were gaining momentum. A rendimiento (performance) that bore the fruits with a comprehensive 4-0 win against new boys Cádiz CF. Suárez scored again, but you already guessed that. Now, despite Cádiz being recently promoted, it is worth noting that they beat the La Liga holders, and Atleti's rivals, Real Madrid 1-0 a couple of weeks prior. Sports press around Spain and myself included, looked at Atleti and saw no real signs of any potential hiccup. With a serial winner like Luis in good form, it was no real suprise to see how good a start Los Rojiblancos were having.

Stocks in Suárez paying dividends

As the games after Cádiz came in quick succession. From round 10 of La Liga fixures until round 13 Luis struggled with a slight injury and a dip in form. This timeline saw Atleti digging deep without their new signing to beat faltering FC Barca and Valencia sides 1-0 each. With draws in the UCL either side. From a free flowing start to scraping out results, the common denominator was simple: No Suárez, less opportunities created. In a matter of months, Luis had become a pivotal player in dropping in and around the box and allowing players like Felix and Llorente to flourish. The latter of the two receiving a full international call-up for Spain for the first time in his career and Suárez played a big part in getting him there. Upon his return to the side in a 2-0 home win against Valladolid, fitness was the new concern for Atleti and for Luis. This became apparent in their 2-0 loss away to their rivals, Real. Many criticised this poor performance with Simeone getting it wrong. Watching the game back, it was uncharacteristic of this Atleti side to send Suárez through balls to run onto and trouble the Real defence. It was not going to happen, especially for Luis returning from injury. They had just worked out how to get El Pistolero firing, how had they got it this wrong in such a statement match against a Real side having a tough time settling into the season. Were the dreams of Atleti to win the league too ambitious?

Coming out guns blazing

After tasting derby defeat, Suárez and his team had two options: derail or dig deep. After an easy cup win against 3rd division Cardassar, La Liga was back and so was Suárez. A 3-1 win against Elche starred Suárez bagging a brace and quickly distancing his side from any talk of a loss of form. In the next three games (all wins), Luis scored 2 and assisted 1, he had turned a page from his brush with injury and he was making sure everyone in Spain knew it.

Breaking away from the Suárez story breifly, Atletico lost 1-0 against Catalan outfit, Cornella, in the Copa del Rey. In England we talk a lot about the magic of the FA Cup but just look at the highlights for this game. The astro turf pitch with no seating and the San Miguel beer sponsors around the ground- puro fútbol, pura pasión.

Now back to the main man. Los Rojiblancos would continue their winning streak against Sevilla, 2-0 nice and easy. Then came Eibar away, a sticky 2-1 win with Suárez getting another brace. Next up Valencia: 3-1 win and another Luis goal. Simeone came out after these two games full of praise for his Uruguayan striker, saying how in recent years they would've lost points in those types of matches. The difference? Suárez and his winning-mentality.

At the time of writing, Atleti have won their most recent game, the return fixture with Cádiz CF, 4-2. Another brace for Luis- too easy. If Simeone is Frankenstein, then he's surely found his monster. This win put the team top of the league, 10 points clear of second place Barcelona with a game in hand on El Pistolero's former side. On this same weekend, Leo Messi reached another extra-terrestrial milestone of 650 goals for Barcelona with a lovely free-kick. Social media was full of praise for Leo, and rightly so. Yet, there were still plenty of comments saying that his ol' mucker Luis bagged the better free-kick that weekend, proper top bins.

We will wait and see if Suárez and Atleti can keep up their hard work and bring home a much anticipated La Liga title. At least we can be certain, Luis has proven to be the cop of the season. Sitting pretty as el pichichi (top scorer) with 14 goals. Thanks for the goals, Luis, here's to a few more.