SUAREZ SAYS…
Luis Suarez famously almost quit Anfield for Arsenal in 2013 in order to play in the Champions League.
The Gunners submitted a bid worth £40,000,001 to trigger his release clause, but Liverpool ultimately refused to let him leave.
Suarez instead moved to Barcelona in 2014 for £65m, where he played for six years, scoring 198 goals in 283 appearances.
But Suarez was made available for transfer by former Barca club president Josep Bartomeu in 2020, and joined Atletico Madrid on a two-year deal.
Speaking ahead of Atletico’s Champions League clash with Liverpool on Wednesday, Suarez saidL “I think I’d been at Liverpool for a year and a half when Brendan [Rodgers] took charge in July 2012.
“Back then, I had opportunities to sign for other clubs who were getting in contact with me, but he phoned me when I was in Uruguay on holiday, to tell me that he had another way of thinking, that he wanted to change the club and its philosophy, that he wanted the club to get back in the Champions League and fight to win big trophies, that he was going to make the team play great football.
“He asked me to believe and trust him. I enjoyed that chat. I liked his conviction, the philosophy he wanted to implement at the club, so I talked to my agent and the club to say that I didn’t want to leave, that I wanted another opportunity to be successful at Liverpool.
“That year wasn’t as good as we wanted, but ideas were already pretty clear. So then the 2012-13 season goes by, and I wanted to sign for Arsenal, since Arsenal had played in the Champions League every season prior to that.”
