Carlos Valderrama full of praise for Sporting’s starter: then he arrived... | OneFootball

Luis Suárez continues to be one of Sporting’s main standouts at the start of this season, even being named MVP of the League in August and September by the Professional Football Players’ Union. Another who has been won over by the Lions’ striker is Carlos Valderrama, the legendary figure of the Colombian national team.

“We were missing a goalscorer and Suárez appeared at the right moment. Before, we had seven [strikers] who, when they joined the national team, didn’t score goals, didn’t play at all, who had their chance...,” he began, speaking to the program ‘Fútbol de Primera’ while analyzing his national team.

“I repeat: we have good goalkeepers, good defenders, but what were we missing? Goals. And we’d say: ‘bring that guy who scored over there, or the one who netted three goals...’, but when they got here, nothing. I always said: we’re missing a striker who scores goals, because the team creates, but we didn’t have anyone to finish. Then this kid arrived, who in one game scored four [in the 6-3 win over Venezuela, in his first start],” added 'Pibe' Valderrama.

Luis Suárez was called up by Néstor Lorenzo for Colombia’s friendlies this month, against Mexico (on the 12th, in Texas) and Canada (on the 15th, in Harrison), both to be played in the United States. The Sporting striker joined the squad in the last few hours.

This season, wearing the green and white stripes, Luis Suárez – valued at 22 million euros – has played 11 matches. The Sporting player has featured in every official game at the start of the season: eight in Liga Portugal, two in the Champions League, and one in the Super Cup. In his 854 minutes on the pitch, the striker has scored seven goals and provided three assists.

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