Antonio Casale defends Sporting star from criticism: mocked and memed | OneFootball

Luis Suárez's recent spell with the Colombia national team sparked intense debate, especially after a missed chance in the friendly against Croatia. Despite being the top scorer in the Portuguese league, the Sporting forward came under criticism in his home country, prompting Antonio Casale to come to his defense.

In his piece, the 'El Espectador' journalist criticizes the way forwards are judged, pointing to the harshness of the reactions: "There is something deeply unfair about the life of a forward. He lives by goals, yes, but he is also haunted by them. This week it happened to Luis Suárez, the target of mockery, memes and definitive judgments after a miss that, in another context, would have gone unnoticed."

The columnist also highlights the particular demands of the position, explaining why mistakes are punished so severely: "A '9' is never forgiven. Perhaps because the goal is the most visible moment in football. In a sport where everything is collective, the forward's mistake seems individual, almost intimate."

To support his point, Antonio Casale recalls historic misses by great names such as Roberto Baggio, Gonzalo Higuaín and Andriy Shevchenko, stressing that "Different stories, huge contexts, cruel outcomes. They all have one thing in common: the judgment was immediate."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.