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Luis Suarez has been heavily criticised following his slow start to the season, scoring just two goals and assisting two in six appearances for Barcelona. This has made a lot of negative experiences come his way in recent weeks.
He was jeered by his own fans after he failed to impress in a UEFA Champions League match against Portuguese club - Sporting Lisbon last week. He was also unlucky not to see the back of the net in the encounter against Las Palmas at Camp Nou on Sunday, and after missing a chance late in the game, he tore his shirt and walked off the field.
The action shows how much pressure he's been feeling and also shows his strong zeal to shut his critics up.
But, vividly looking at the case, Suarez does not deserve such negative treatments after all he had done to help his team, his teammates, the fans and his contribution to football in general.
This suggests that his critics are very wrong in analysing his performance because he has done so much and cannot be overlooked at this stage of his career.
As a matter of fact, his statistics in previous years simply reveal that his critics have made mistakes with their thoughts and such mistake would not have happened if only they realised that Luis Suarez is a real 'Legend' and therefore should be worshipped and not provoked.
Below are 5 reasons why Suarez is a true legend of the game:
#5. His overall play
Sincerely speaking, Suarez is one of the best centre-forwards the game has seen in previous years, and much has to do with the way he handles the ball. He can dribble, he can perform exquisite layoffs, he can play long passes, he can cut inside, create chances and has wonderful finishing skills.
Further, he is physically strong and can thereby hold the ball. He is aggressive, selfless, decides matches and gives his best to the team. Moulded with good adaptability and versatility, Suarez can transform his game to suit the system of the team which was evident during his spells with Ajax and Liverpool before his Barcelona career.
He formed a strike partnership with Lionel Messi and Neymar Junior at Barcelona called the MSN trio and broke many records and then achieved some more.
#4. Goalscoring stats
Although Suarez might not have scored many goals this season, it should be remembered that we are in the early stages of the season and the Uruguayan will finally find his form and score lots of goals.
His statistics suggest he will not fail to impress on a consistent basis. His ability to put the ball at the back of the net is what he is vividly known for. This, he has done in the previous seasons of his career as well.
He scored 12 goals for Nacional, 15 for Groningen, 111 for Ajax, 87 for Liverpool and 47 for Uruguay. So far, he has scored over 100 goals for Barcelona in an illustrious career.
#3. Competed at the top level
Luis Suarez might not have the fame and marketing value of the likes of Neymar, Griezman or Dybala but he does have one thing and that is the fact that he is next to Messi and Ronaldo in terms of performance.
In fact, at some point, he even beat them to glory. This sounds shocking, right? Let us consider these points. Ever since 2010, since Messi and Ronaldo have begun their golden boot domination, no player has been able to challenge them except Luis Suarez who did it twice.
He shared the award with Christiano Ronaldo in 2014 before finally beating the two superstars to the award in 2016. What a remarkable achievement!
He has been so competitive, and last year he finished as the second top scorer in La Liga ahead of Christiano Ronaldo and Neymar. He has also received consistent Ballon d'Or nominations in recent years.
He came second in the UEFA Men Best Player award ahead of Christiano Ronaldo while Messi won the award in 2015. Despite his poor form this season, he even has more goals in La Liga (2) ahead of Ronaldo (0).
Besides goal scoring, it is evident that Suarez contributes in other key aspects of his team. He contributes to the team play, deliver decent passes and create chances for his teammates.
No wonder he had the most assists in La Liga in 2016, after he had already claimed the most goals. This is a big record in Spain as no one has topped both the goals and assists charts before him in La Liga. What more!
2. He managed to escape from under Messi's shadow
To many experts, the biggest achievement of Suarez is his ability to play out Messi's shadow. One problem with many attackers that Barcelona has acquired in the Messi-era was that they all played under Messi's shadow.
However, Suarez has proved that he can beat Messi's shadow and that was clear in 2016 when Barca lost to Madrid at Camp Nou in the second leg of the El-Classico. The team submitted further points in consequent matches and the title race heated up and it was as if Barcelona players were all sleeping.
Suarez single-handedly guided Barca to the trophy. This included a superb 8 goals and 6 assists in two consecutive matches for the Uruguayan. That season, Suarez scored and assisted more than Messi. What genius!
1. He has won an incredible amount of silverware
It would have been a disappointment if a player of Suarez's status fails to win the major trophies of the game. Yes, he won everything! He has 1 Champions League, 1 English Cup, 2 Spanish Championships, 3 Spanish Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup, 1 Dutch Championship, 1 Dutch Cup,1 Club World Cup and 1 Copa America.
Personal Awards include Eredivisie Top Scorer, Premier League Top Scorer, La Liga Top Scorer, Copa America Player Of The Year, and much more.
Luis Saurez is truly a legend and should be back soon to prove all doubters wrong!
Please Note that this article is Opinion Based
