Luis Suarez reflects on the struggle behind his Barcelona years – ‘People have to understand…’ | OneFootball

Barcelona legend Luis Suarez has offered a rare, deeply personal reflection on his career during a candid conversation with SPORT. 

Speaking openly, he revisited the constant debate surrounding whether his Liverpool version or the Barcelona version was superior. 

Before addressing the question directly, Suarez made it clear that both periods represented different moments of his evolution as a footballer.

When asked about the comparison, Suarez explained in detail. 

“The Suarez at Barcelona was totally different from the Suarez at Liverpool because of the space or the role he had to play. 

“I always explained that at Barcelona I learned to play in a 10×10 space with one touch, which I didn’t do at Liverpool. 

“At Liverpool, I had 40 meters to run on my own and then dribble and fight for the ball. It was the same in Uruguay. 

“At Barcelona, wherever I looked, I had to get used to making good passes. 

“That made me an even better player. It made me evolve a lot, and the Suarez from 2014 to 2017, which were my best years at Barcelona, was good too.”

Continues to follow Barcelona

Suarez also made it clear that his emotional connection with Barcelona has never faded. 

Luis Suarez still follows Barcelona. (Photo by LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images)

Before speaking about it, he smiled and acknowledged how deeply rooted the bond remains.

“Yes, always, constantly, the children too, because you never stop being a fan, you never stop admiring the club, loving the club, and still being in contact with people at the club. 

“We plan to return to Barcelona for everything it has given us. We are sure of this because of everything it has given us and because we always feel at home there.”

Reflecting on his time at the Camp Nou, Suarez did not shy away from discussing both the highs and the difficult periods. 

Before recalling his darkest moments, he admitted that top-level players often hide their struggles.

“Let’s start with the negative: I went through several bad spells. When I wasn’t scoring away from home, it bothered me too. I was angry with myself. 

“Then it becomes a big deal and affects you even if you don’t want it to. I wanted to show the strength I mentioned at the beginning. 

“That was a difficult time, but then I have a saying, a phrase that Barcelona does to you. It demands that every three days, every game, you have to perform.”

Pressure of playing for Barcelona

Asked about the relentless pressure players face, Suarez expanded on how quickly people forget.

“There is so much constant pressure to perform between a 7 and a 10 every game that if you give them the margin to drop to a 5, people start to doubt, saying ‘this game didn’t go well.’ 

“In the next game, they score two or three goals, perfect, an 8, a 9, a 10, perfect, ‘how nice,’ they say. 

“If you don’t score in the next game and the one after that, that’s two games without scoring. 

“Barcelona demands that you perform well every three or four days. And sometimes people have to understand that it’s not easy to get to Barcelona, but the hardest thing is to stay there every year. 

“Sometimes people say, ‘Oh, he had a good year.’ I’m lucky to be able to say that the years I had at Barcelona were all good.”

Conversation with Araujo

Suarez defended Ronald Araujo. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

He then reflected on how he advises Ronald Araujo today, using his own experiences as a warning.

“Sometimes, when I talk to Ronald Araujo, I tell him that. When he scores goals or wins something, I tell him, remember, people have short memories and every three days they’re going to demand the same from you, and that’s what happens to him. 

“He has to perform between an 8 and a 10 in every game because if he doesn’t, people are going to ask for more. 

“That’s what Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico demand of you. To be at a high level and consistently so.”

Suarez acknowledged that handling criticism is part of the job.

“That depends on him. Criticism is the order of the day; it’s constant. As I said at the beginning, criticism sells more than praise. 

“Praise is nice sometimes, but people buy more when there’s criticism.”

Relationship with Messi

Suarez and Messi shared a great relationship. (Photo by LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images)

Finally, he opened up with warmth when the conversation turned to Lionel Messi and how their friendship has grown beyond football.

“As the years went by, we got to know each other better on the field. And over time, we’ve gotten to know each other well off the field too. 

“We know when each other is in a good mood and when the other is in a bad mood. We each know when to share private conversations and when the other doesn’t feel like talking. 

“We sometimes look at each other and think that we are fulfilling what we had talked about back then in Barcelona: being able to enjoy our last stage as soccer players together,” he concluded.