Luis Suarez feels he is a changed man.
Chatting with reporters ahead of Uruguay’s ahead of their World Cup qualifiers, Suarez said: “I am aware that in recent matches that I played I’ve been calmer.
“I am very self-critical and I realized that playing well, with more tranquility, is helping me a lot. I realize and I prefer to continue and not be the same as before.”
Sounds like the 10 match suspension must have worked - chalk one up for the English FA.
While it’s good to hear Suarez claiming he’s a changed man it’s something that many fans will be eager to see beyond the three games he’s played since returning from the ban.
The desire to change and become a more tranquil person is a good thing. We’ll just see if that’s the case when Liverpool are down 2-1 in the 85th minute and a Champions League spot is on the line. Those are the moments when, no matter how much he’s changed, the dog will be begging to come out.
Last weekend Suarez pulled the interesting move of having his young daughter and newborn son accompany him onto the pitch during the procession. It was a scene that pessimists deemed to be a PR stunt by the sharps at Liverpool Football Club to compel audiences to soften on their view of Suarez.
The theory was intriguing to me. On Tuesday, Suarez addressed the situation in his chat with reporters, his response indicating that the move was solely his decision and not the clubs.
“In England it is not common and the first club people told me I was not going to go with them but I told them that my children were going to come with me, like it or not. They understood in the end and it was a nice moment, a unique moment for me. My family make me think hard and calm me. Nowadays I think a lot of them when I’m on the pitch.”
For Suarez, the moment apparently came down to wanting to give his very best for his children. “I wanted my son to live as I do. I suffered a lot as a child and I do not want my children, or any other child, to experience the circumstances as I did. As a parent I try to give them all the love in the world and all the best.”
The complexities continue.