While looking at the Uruguay line up, I overhead the English commentator describe the Uruguayan national team as the "Cup holders who have struggled to score".
This statement forced me look at the Uruguay line up and its only then that I realized why the cup holders have struggled to score. The answer is Luis Suarez.
The 28 year old
Suarez might still been infamously remembered for the wrong reasons like biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini or his racist chant against former Manchester United black French player Patrice Evra by calling him a monkey. Suarez was banned in both occasions and is actually conspicuously missing from this years Copa America finals for his lengthy FIFA ban for biting Chiellini.
Love or hate him, Suarez is wonderfully gifted player and simply one of the best strikers in the world at the moment. He has just helped his club Barcelona from winning the coveted UEFA Champions League after beating Italian powerhouse Juventus in the 2014-14 finals played in Berlin, Germany .
Two things made me remember Suarez that are both interconnected and which I believe could easily summarize why I highly rate the Uruguayan striker.
When the shot tempered Suarez left Liverpool following his lengthy FIFA ban, the Merseyside club struggled to find his replacement as his goals, his runs and his constant menace and terror on defenders was solely missed by Liverpool prompting the Merseyside club to finish a lowly 6th position and 25 points adrift of champions Chelsea.
Liverpool definitely missed Suarez's services and more importantly his goals.
Now that he is missing for Uruguay, its no wonder they have struggled to score in the Copa America, which they won thanks to Suarez's magic. He scored four goals then and was voted the player of the tournament for helping his country win the fourth Copa America cup. He is also his country's all time goal scorer with 40 goals.
So what makes Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz special?
well, he is a fighter, a goal poacher and a workaholic striker who makes life very difficult for defenders. When he is not busy biting, abusing or hitting defenders, he is happy scoring from all angles whether its by scraping a goal from no where, or dancing his way through defenses or simply by scoring from a dead ball situation or free kick for those who are not familiar with some of weirdest of football terminologies which beats common knowledge like dead ball!
By Guled Mohamed.
When Guled is not thinking, watching or writing about football he is busy writing about Somalia in his capacity as a journalist, blogger and or public relations /strategic communication expert. Follow Guled on twitter: @guledke
