As Uruguayan striker, Luis Suarez, prepares for a new chapter in his life and career, whether it’s his talent or antics, the former Atletico Madrid, Liverpool and Barcelona forward knows how to find the soccer spotlight.
The striker has been one of the most prolific talents in the sport over the last decade-plus, his on-field behaviour over that stretch has been nothing short of infamous.
Find hereunder five times Suarez made the news for the wrong reasons
1. The Ghana Incident
In what became one of the most infamous moments in World Cup history, Suarez’s deliberate handling of a Dominic Adiyiah header in the closing stages of extra-time denied Ghana a place in the tournament’s semi-finals, which they would have become the first African side to reach.
Asamoah Gyan’s miss from the subsequent penalty prompted wild celebrations from the sent-off Suarez, who repeated the jubilation when Uruguay won the penalty shootout. He was a hero to his country, but a villain to pretty much everyone else.
2. Biting Bakkal
A bizarre bite to the shoulder of PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal landed him with a two-game suspension by the club and a seven-match punishment by the Dutch FA. At this point he was already in contact with another club though, and would never play for Ajax again.
3. The Evra Incident
An incident which was to shape his future in England was just around the corner, though, with Suarez accused of racially abusing Manchester United defender, Patrice Evra, in a meeting between Liverpool and United in October 2011.
It was a claim that Suarez denied, but after an FA panel was assembled to pore all over the evidence, Suarez was found guilty on the balance of probabilities in December. Despite Liverpool’s full backing, he was banned for eight matches and fined £40,000, with the damage done to his reputation far more relevant.
4. The Ivanovic Bite
Suarez had been excellent throughout 2012/13 for Liverpool, scoring 30 goals in 44 matches in all competitions in a campaign which came to an abrupt end in April.
Having conceded a penalty due to a needless handball, minutes later Suarez was shown to have bitten the shoulder of the Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic when the pair tried to meet a Steven Gerrard cross. The incident was missed by the referee, with Suarez staying on the pitch to score a last-gasp equaliser in a 2-2 draw. He was later charged with violent conduct, given a 10-game suspension by the FA and even criticised by then UK Prime Minister David Cameron.
5. The Chiellini Bite
In the 2014 World Cup, Uruguay faced a must-win match against Italy with both seeing their World Cup futures on the line.
Minutes after he’d missed a presentable chance, Suarez copied the Ivanovic incident of 14 months earlier when he bit the shoulder of Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini.
Again it was missed by the officials, but after Diego Godin scored the winner to put Italy through, Suarez was banned from all football activity for four months, whilst he was also suspended for nine competitive Uruguay matches. It was one of the harshest punishments ever seen in football, but plenty agreed it was deserved.
