Luis Suarez won the Spanish LaLiga with Atletico Madrid this season. It’s like deja vu because something similar happened with David Villa.
Last September Luis Suarez officially joined Atletico Madrid on a two-year contract. It came after the 34-year-old striker had previously been told Barcelona was no longer needed, after six seasons at the Catalan club.
Barca coach Ronald Koeman reportedly said that it was the age of Luis Suarez that had to be released. A number of media at that time even said the Uruguayan player was released free of charge – although some said the transfer value was around 5-7 million euros.
To be sure, Luis Suarez left Barcelona feeling disappointed. But the grief seems to have succeeded in him converting it into a spark of enthusiasm at Atletico Madrid, which he has now succeeded in bringing to become the Spanish LaLiga champion. Barcelona? ‘Just’ finished third.
“I feel a lot of things, this is a difficult situation that someone has to go through, who started the season with them underestimating me,” said Luis Suarez, quoted from Mundo Deportivo, after bringing Los Colchoneros to the championship.
Luis Suarez helped Atletico Madrid win the Spanish League after moving from Barcelona. Photo: Getty Images / Angel Martinez |
“Atletico opened the door for me to prove myself at this time, and that’s why I always thank this great club for believing in me,” added the figure who has won LaLiga four times in Barcelona.
Luis Suarez’s contribution in his first season at Atletico Madrid went beyond scoring 21 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions, including 32 in LaLiga.
It was the former Liverpool star who scored the title winner when Atletico Madrid came back and won 2-1 over Real Valladolid. The same thing even Luis Suarez did in Jornada before, when Diego Simeone’s squad came back from behind to grab a 2-1 win over Osasuna.
Luis Suarez’s success with Atletico Madrid in the Spanish League this season has also led to comparisons with another figure who had also been kicked out by Barcelona. David Villa.
In the summer of 2013, Barcelona agreed a transfer of around 5 million euros for David Villa. Villa, who was 32 years old at the time, had three seasons at Barca which helped him win two LaLiga titles.
Like Luis Suarez at this time, David Villa was also immediately able to contribute to Atletico Madrid, who at the end of the season won the Spanish League. At that time David Villa scored 13 goals in 36 LaLiga appearances in 2013/2014, which was also his last season in Spain.
 David Villa celebrates the title with Atletico Madrid in 2014. Photo: Getty Images / Pablo Blazquez Dominguez |
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