Luis Suarez played on Sunday in Anoeta his last minutes as a player of the Atletico Madrid. And on Monday night she passed by The sparde la Ser, where he reviewed his two rojiblanco courses.
The goal against Osasuna
“Unforgettable”.
He leaves Atlético
“Now calm down waiting for the children to finish school and then make the best decision. The right one to be able to compete and play in the World Cup in the best conditions”.
where will he play
“I haven’t decided. I swear I haven’t. There are many proposals, many calls. I listen to everyone and I don’t close the door on anyone.”
Qatar, the United States, China…
“It’s not in my head yet. I’m not thinking about money but about a high level of sport to get to the World Cup in good shape. That’s Europe. I get a lot of calls from Mexico, Brazil, Argentina…”.
Would you have liked to continue at Atlético?
“Yes, I would have liked it. I was delighted, fulfilling a role that I wasn’t used to, but I accepted it in a good way. I also knew that the demand was getting bigger and bigger, with colleagues at a high level, but trained to fulfill what I The coach asked. But the chances didn’t come up.”
How do you know that it will not continue?
“Rafa Alique (the club’s communication director) told me the day before I was fired. He told me that they were going to fire me. I didn’t know anything. I’m 35 years old, I sensed something and I was already thinking about my future In November we met with the club, we agreed to talk in February and Alique told me the day before the tribute, my answer was “well, someone in the club told me something”.
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Did you talk to Simeone afterwards?
“No, nothing. Neither with Berta, nor with Miguel Ángel Gil.”
Was the change of role in the team hard?
“I spoke with the coach and told him that I accepted it, but I was going to make it difficult for him. At some point I wondered what had happened, because it was just after the Osasuna game, where I scored that goal from distance, and I stopped playing. Enter João and Correa, who break it. I accept it. Then, in April, Cholo tells me that he was making decisions, that he saw other players better and I accepted it. I don’t ask when I play, nor when I don’t. I get angry because I’m competitive and I want to play.”
What did you feel at the farewell?
“It was exciting because of the people’s affection, for everything, because they valued what I did these two years and I was also moved by my children, who were able to see that. Leaving Barcelona was very difficult.”
Have you already forgotten about Barça?
“Yes, it’s far away. I did what I had to do. My fear was if I came to Atleti and it didn’t work out for me… But I trusted, Atlético too, the coach, my teammates… And to win a League with a team that had been playing for years That I didn’t win it and scoring that goal was incredible. I enjoyed it a lot. Although at Barça I left my life and a big mark”.
Can you understand that a League with Atleti can be worth as much as other titles you have won?
“The way they celebrated and enjoyed themselves, and the nerves they had before the games. I was lucky to win many titles with Barça and they didn’t suffer like that (laughs). Here it was tension, nerves in training, in games… I was used to jokes with Messi and there was no laughter here. It’s the tension of competing. It’s a special feeling to win a League at Atleti, your teammates teach you what Atleti is”.
Does it give you the feeling that Atleti was made for you?
“Because of his way of playing and his characteristics, yes. In 2014, before signing for Barça, they asked me at a press conference if he saw me at Barça and I said no, he didn’t see me. In 2013 I had the opportunity to come to Atleti, talking to Cholo, but it didn’t happen. If he had come then, he would have grabbed Suárez faster, more warrior and we would have created a nice story.”
Was the Atleti League more special then?
“Yes, because I felt special too. I arrived and many people doubted. I had other options, but he convinced me, apart from the words of the coach who sells you the Vatican if you let him, see what Atlético had. If we are good, we defend well and what was missing was what I could give, decisive goals, I felt qualified. It was the change of chip and I came. Cholo said it in a talk we had. He was enthusiastic about my desire. I don’t give up. We didn’t want to win this year with the quality we had. Despite having beaten the league, we had to have continued. In some aspects we stopped taking care of things and we had difficult moments”.
Have you been too relaxed this year?
Well, we got something that hadn’t been had for a long time. Without wanting to think about what it’s time to enjoy…”
Have you run more at Atleti than at Barça?
“In some games I’ve run more than 10 kilometres, at Barça it didn’t go over 9,100. You get used to it.”
What has changed at Atleti from one year to the next?
“The squad was more competitive with the signings. In the first games, the strikers had a talk with Simeone, he had many options and we did not finish gaining confidence. He also passed behind. And that makes you think that you are doing something wrong… There is an uncertainty, a lack of confidence… Maybe it could have been that, for me. Someone else will tell you something else.”
Is the teacher going to the World Cup with Uruguay?
“They have to let him go and then return to Atleti. It’s a very special situation. El Profe is 64 years old and wants to go to a World Cup. You have to be sensitive, it’s something unique.”
Who are you going with in the Champions League final?
“I’m a fan of Barça, of Liverpool, of the teams where I’ve played… But as a football fan, if Madrid wins, then they win, although I prefer Liverpool to do it.”
Benzema’s moment
“Benzema’s goal against Chelsea, I got up from the sofa to applaud it as a football fan. Ballon d’Or for Benzema? As a season, yes. But for me it will always be for Messi because he is the best in the world. Lewandowski, Salah… They also have a great year.”
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