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“Oh you make me live, Whenever this world is cruel to me
I got you to help me forgive, Oh you make me live now honey.”
The beautiful lyrics of Queen’s immortal song “You’re My Best Friend”, written by their exceptional bassist John Deacon, seem to effortlessly set the perfect tone for this piece. For, as the saying goes, behind every great man is a woman, and that’s exactly the case when one tends to discuss how Luis Suarez’s wife inspired him to become the player he is today.
Barcelona’s brilliant forward and one part of the lethal ‘MSN’ trio, Luis Suarez is a lot of things besides being a great player. He’s also a national hero courtesy his match-saving handball against Ghana in the quarter finals of the 2010 World Cup, one of the best strikers in the Premier League during his time with Liverpool, a serial biter, a tantrum thrower as well as a dedicated family man.
All in all, Luis Suarez boasts of a chequered past that would put even Donald Draper or perhaps Raymond Redington to shame.
The Making of a (Controversial) Icon
But all that negativity is seemingly in the past now, thanks to the massive impact his wife Sofia had on his life, causing him to turn it around. It could all have been different for Suarez in all the wrong ways had he not met the love of his life, but thanks to her, he saved himself from himself and is now all cleaned up as well as one of the most admired, if not most loved, players in world football.
Suarez’s other love, which was the game of football, struck him when he was just six, after his family had just moved his hometown Salto to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. The youngster’s mother soon found an appropriate club for him in the form of Urreta, where he made an instant impact; scoring a hattrick on his debut as a sub and helping his team come back from a 2-0 deficit in an eventual victory.
It didn’t take long for Suarez’s skills to attract attention, and was soon spotted by Wilson Perez, a scout for Nacional – the most prestigious club in the country.
However, things soon started falling apart for Suarez. His father his young family to fend for themselves, causing Suarez to quit football.
Suarez eventually returned, but his life was severely rocked due to his family situation. Due to this, he began to show signs of bad behaviour that he would soon grow to be associated with over the years.
No.9 Finds Love
A red card for headbutting a referee and a suspension for drinking during his time at the youth team caused his coach to threaten him with the ultimatum of never playing again unless he cleaned up his act. It was around that time that he met the love of his life, Sofia Balbi, who would change his life forever.
Sofia was just 13 while Suarez was 15 when they first crossed paths, and it was love at the first sight. Speaking of the impact Sofia had on him, Suarez said: “At 15, I found a girlfriend and that sorted my head out. It helped me realise how important football was for me.”
Suddenly, football and Sofia was all that mattered to him. He used to pick up coins on the street in order to treat Sofia, who was now a regular around Nacional’s training ground, as recalled by Pirez.
Suarez’s world was soon shattered again after Sofia decided to join her family in Barcelona.
Europe Beckons
Sofia’s move to Spain hurt Suarez immensely, but also goaded him to get better with every game, with the hope that a European club would spot him and bring him closer to his sweetheart.
Lady luck did eventually shine upon the youngster as he was soon spotted by scouts from Dutch outfit Groningen, who had come to watch another Nacional player. A deal was soon struck and the Uruguayan earned his big move to Europe in time for the 2006-07 season.
Although Netherlands was still miles away from Spain, Suarez was at least on the same continent as his sweetheart.
A highly productive season at Groningen followed, after which Suarez forced through a move to Dutch giants Ajax. His consistent goal-scoring made sure that he would be named Ajax Player of the Year for two consecutive seasons as well as the Dutch Footballer of the Year, although his time in Amsterdam was blighted by a few disciplinary incidents.
Four brilliant seasons at Ajax finally attracted the attention of Liverpool, who were looking for a clinical striker.
Despite a slew of phenomenal displays for Liverpool, which brought them within touching distance of the Premier League title in 2014 as well as a shower of awards for Suarez including the 2013-14 PFA Players’ Player of the Year, 2012-13 and 2013-14 Liverpool Player of the Year and the European Golden Shoe amongst many others, the player’s time there was blighted by his unflattering on-field displays in the form of a racist incident with Patrice Evra and his bite on Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.
The Woman Behind The Man
It was times like these when he turned to Sofia, the only person who saw the man under the controversial exterior, for support when the whole world was against him. After the bite incident, which invited a ten game ban, the player’s wife decided to take her husband to task.
Suarez spoke about his wife’s influence on him while he was serving his suspension.
“My wife has made observations like, ‘You were arguing with the referee and the defenders too much; you didn't really seem up for it; you might as well have not been on the pitch’.”
“I go away, think about it and realise she was right. She said people must go away and think that is what I am like off the pitch, even though I'm usually relaxed and easy-going.”
“Having a wife that closely watches the game is good. She knows me better than anyone else and I want her observations to help me play better and be a happier person.”
His wife’s observations did indeed make him a better player, and today Suarez simply lets his feet do all the talking.
In a way fans also have a lot to thank Sofia for, because if it wasn’t for her, the clean-cut, world beating Barcelona forward we know so well today would have probably been just another footballer.
