How Luis Suárez Reignited His Career with Atlético Madrid
Luis Suárez is one of the greatest strikers ever in football, although it is fair to say that his time at Barcelona didn't end in the best possible manner. While he scored 198 goals for the institution during the six years he spent at Camp Nou, the truth of the matter is that the board and manager Ronald Koeman didn't go about his exit in the best manner.
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The Context of the Departure
The 2019/20 ended quite poorly for Barcelona , with that infamous 8-2 defeat against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League and a feeling that the old guard had to be replaced. In comes manager Ronald Koeman, a club legend as a player, and decided to let Luis Suárez go, which, according to the player, wasn't handled in the best way."A 12, because of the expectations with which I arrived, which were not so high with Leo (Messi) and Neymar," Suárez said when grading his time with the club in 2022. "It was said that three roosters in a henhouse could not coexist and we showed that we could perform, with the role of each one, but leading Barcelona to be the best in history during those years. I am proud of the career I had. I fulfilled the expectations. At the end of that stage, one obviously lowered the level but I still had the tranquillity of always surpassing 25 goals per season."
"What really bothered me was being told I was too old and could no longer play at the highest level, be at the level of a top team," Suárez said in 2021. "That's what upset me. Barcelona kicked me out; they told me they didn't count on me anymore. It's a different matter if you still have a multi-year contract and the club wants to sell you. But the club indicated that they didn't consider me anymore anyway. They simply didn't want me anymore. I deserved a certain amount of respect."
Be that as it may, the player decided to join Atlético Madrid in the summer of 2020, which was a surprising yet interesting decision. Diego Simeone, the legendary manager of the Madrid club, was always an admirer of the Uruguayan's playing style and while the latter wasn't as energetic as he once was due to age, he was more than eager to prove his worth once more.
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At Atlético Madrid
There is no denying that Luis Suárez's impact was immediate, with the player scoring 21 league goals in his first season to lead the team to a La Liga title, which they didn't accomplish since 2014. He was also quite vocal from the get-go that he was going to adapt to the needs of the team and Simeone's playing style."A player can't change a team's philosophy or way of playing," Suárez said in 2020. "A player has to adapt to the dynamic, enthusiasm, and desire that the team brings to the table. And to its way of playing. I went from Ajax to Liverpool, which was completely different. And from Liverpool to Barcelona, which was completely different. I've tried to adapt to the teams I've been at as best I can."
In fact, Suárez scored 12 goals during his first 15 games in La Liga with Atlético Madrid, becoming the best start for a player at a new club since Cristiano Ronaldo during his first season with Real Madrid (13 goals in 15 matches). This is a testament to the player's ability when considering that he was 34 years of age when he won the league with Atlético.
"My feelings told me I had to go to Atlético Madrid and it gave me the revenge of showing in La Liga that Suárez was still relevant," Suárez said in 2022.
Ultimately, while the second season wasn't as good, it is very clear that Suárez made a difference for the club and pushed them to win a major title, which is something that has stayed with the supporters ever since. Moreover, the Uruguayan also made it clear after winning the competition that he wanted to prove a point when he signed for "Los Colchoneros" in the summer of 2020.
"The President went out and said a lot of things in the press instead of calling me," Suárez said after winning La Liga in 2021 with Atlético Madrid. "At one point, they wanted Leo to stay and called me to convince him; they wanted Griezmann to stay and called me, and then, when it came to telling me things, why didn't they just tell me? You know, there comes a time when it's no longer useful to the club for the coach to come and tell me he doesn't want to count on me because he wants another type of No. 9, but Koeman ended up giving me the impression that, 'They told me to tell you not to consider you.'"
"Winning it with Atlético Madrid is much harder, you realize it's even harder and even more worthy."
It was a memorable season that reminded people that this is one of the best strikers in the history of football and someone who accomplished something very special that year for Atlético Madrid.