Charlie Adams praised Luis Suarez for coming back from his biting controversy to become a star at Barcelona.
Liverpool sold Suarez for nearly £90m in 2014 after his phenomenal 31 goals in 33 league game-season which earned him the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, the Premier League Player of the Season and the European Golden Boot.
The Uruguayan still could not make his debut for Barcelona until October 25 after receiving a six-month ban for his bite on Giorgio Chiellini in the World Cup. It was his third biting offence after ones on Otman Bakkal when when he was playing for Ajax and on Branislav Ivanovic in the Premier League. Adam was teammates with Suarez for one season at Liverpool and marvelled at how the 32-year-old managed to turn his career around.
“He will have been disappointed at what had happened [his ban for biting], how he got involved in the situation, both situations, and how it occurred,” Adam told Stats Perform (via Onefootball). “But the way he’s bounced back from that mental toughness has been incredible. I still say he’s one of the best number nines in the world where he could occupy a defence on his own.
“He’s hungry to score goals, he’s playing for one of the best teams in the world with the greatest player I’ve ever seen [Lionel Messi]. It’s phenomenal to see that he’s made that step up. It was crucial for him when he left Liverpool to go to Barcelona and everyone thought ‘was he the right type of player for Barcelona?’ but he’s been phenomenal and I was grateful to be able to share the dressing room with him.”
Suarez has won 14 titles with Barcelona, much thanks to his partnership with Lionel Messi up front. “The top players connect well. Even when Neymar was there, the three of them seemed to connect,” Adam continued. “There was no ego about any of the players, they wanted the best for the team and that’s the important thing.
“You sort of saw it when they signed [Ousmane] Dembele. He was the other type of player that was all about him. When you’re at Barcelona it’s all only about one person and that’s Lionel Messi. It’s not being disrespectful, but you have to try and manipulate your game to suit him because he’s the main man. But Dembele’s not really gone there and expressed how Neymar did.
“Neymar knew that he wasn’t going to be the main man at that time, but he got his head down, knuckled down and they had some great success together, the three of them.”
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