“Better than Cristiano Ronaldo”, “More competitive than Saudi League” – Fans left stunned as ex-Barcelona hero nets ‘crazy’ goal

One fan opined that Luis Suarez is better than Cristiano Ronaldo after the former Barcelona hitman scored a splendid goal for Gremio in their recent game.

At 36, Suarez is nearing the end of his illustrious career, plying his trade away from Europe. After a brief stint with Uruguayan club Nacional following his exit from Atletico Madrid last summer, the striker joined Gremio in January.

Although he no longer plays at the top level in Europe, Suarez is not entirely out of fuel yet. He showed that he still has something left in his tank with his goalscoring performance in Gremio's 1-1 draw against Cruzeiro in the Copa Do Brasil on Thursday (May 17).

Gremio trailed by one goal for most of the first leg of the Round of 16 clash after Bruno Rodrigues gave Cruzeiro the lead eight minutes into the game. However, the former Barcelona star equalized for his side with a stunning trivela shot from outside of the box in the 79th minute.

Watch the video of Suarez's goal here:

Suarez had two shots on target in the game and also hit the woodwork once. The Gremio forward had 50 touches, completed 25 of the 34 passes he attempted and played two key passes. He, however, lost possession 18 times and was caught offside once.

Impressed by the veteran's performance, fans took to social media to wax lyrical about him. One fan even said that Suarez is better than Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, tweeting:

"Better than Cristiano Ronaldo"

Another tweeted:

"Trivela into the near post top corner is crazy"

One fan, meanwhile, opined that the Copa Do Brasil is more competitive than the Saudi Pro League, in which Cristiano Ronaldo plays:

"More competitive than Saudi league"

Here are some more reactions to Suarez's stunning goal in Gremio's 1-1 draw against Cruzeiro:

Suarez has bagged eight goals and three assists in 20 games across competitions for Gremio so far.

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Barcelona legend Lionel Messi could follow Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia

Al-Nassr completed a major coup when they signed Cristiano Ronaldo on a free transfer in December. The Riyadh-based club made the forward the highest-paid player in the world, reportedly giving him a contract worth over €200 million a year.

The Saudi Arabian government is said to be keen to lure more big-name players to the country in the coming months. Their ambition knows no bounds as they are determined to sign Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi among others.

Messi is certain to leave PSG when his contract ends in June, according to Fabrizio Romano. The former Barcelona hero has received an offer worth over €400 million a year to join Saudi giants Al-Hilal.

Al-Za'eem is reportedly prepared to sign Messi's former Barcelona teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets to tempt him to join the club. According to French journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi, they are also ready to make an offer for PSG midfielder Marco Verratti.