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What's the story?
Luis Suarez, who is one of the top out-and-out strikers in the world at the moment, has claimed that he's the only player who had been able to post figures comparable to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's stats over the last five years.
The Uruguayan forward was talking to Daily Mirror yesterday and revealed that he has been enjoying his goal-scoring exploits since securing a dream move to Barcelona from Liverpool in 2014.
In case you didn't know...
Suarez, who has been with the Catalan club since the 2014 season, is currently placed fifth in the club's all-time top goalscorers.
In terms of top-flight goals for the Blaugrana, he is even further up on the list with 131 LaLiga goals to his name. Only yesteryear's legends László Kubala and Cesar separate him from Messi, who has a mind-boggling 416 goals in the competition.
Over the last nine years, Suarez is the only player who has won the European Golden Shoe other than Messi and Ronaldo.
Interestingly, the award has always gone to a LaLiga player since Ronaldo won it with Manchester United way back in the 2007-08 season.
The heart of the matter
Barcelona will host Premier League side Liverpool in their UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg fixture next week. Ahead of his emotional reunion with his former club, Suarez talked with Sportsmail's Pete Jenson.
The player has gone from strength to strength in his ongoing spell with the Spanish club and was only the second Uruguayan since Diego Forlan to win the European Golden Shoe in 2014. He would go on to win the accolade again in 2016, pipping the dynamic duo of Messi and Ronaldo that season.
He recalls his goal-scoring exploits of those seasons fondly and even made a bold claim of being the only player who reached the levels of the duo in the last five years. He said:
"I know I'm the only player in Europe who has been able to get anywhere near Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo in the race for the Golden Shoe in the last five years. And twice I won it."
He also stated that he is worthy of the No.9 jersey of the club, which has had such a rich history of talent in the attacking department. He added:
"I think I have produced the goods. I think I have been worthy of this club's No 9 shirt."
What's next?
Barcelona are one of the strongest contenders for a European treble this season. The biggest obstacle in their way are Liverpool, whom they host at the Camp Nou next week.
