Plus Barca manager Enrique admits he had doubts about signing the ex-Reds forward.
Luis Suarez scored a crucial go-ahead goal as Barcelona beat Juventus 3-1 – to draw level with Liverpool on five European Cup victories.
It led his manager Luis Enrique to hail his ‘great hunger for trophies’ although he admitted he had doubts about the decision to pay so much for the former Reds’ striker.
Ex-team-mate Steven Gerrard took to his Instagram account to send Suarez the message: “Congratulations my friend. Special.”
Victory in Berlin clinched a treble for Barcelona and Liverpool fans will have looked on with bitter-sweet emotions at a team which contained two much-loved former Reds in Suarez and Javier Mascherano.
Suarez scored his team’s second goal in the 68th minute to give them the lead again after Alvaro Morata had cancelled out Ivan Rakitic’s early opener. Neymar delivered a coup de grace with the last kick of the game.
Suarez, 28, said: “It’s incredible... unique. It’s a dream.
“To win the Champions League and competitions like this you have to suffer. It’s not the same if you do not. We suffered and today we won.
“After they scored they pushed forward and put pressure on us. They had chances.
“But we have but difference makers in our team and we came out on top.”
Suarez left Anfield last summer for £75m after a high-profile biting incident involving Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini, a player who missed last night's game for Juventus through injury.
There was another reminder of the Uruguayan’s past for his goal as he pounced ahead of Patrice Evra, the player he served a ban for racially abusing, to volley home his goal before skipping Dalglish-like over the advertising hoarding to celebrate in front of his adoring fans.
Despite his Anfield departure, Suarez remains a much-loved figure among most Liverpool fans - he was given a hero's welcome on his return to Anfield for the All-Star game in March - and there were many loud cheers and applause in the city’s pubs and bars as he left the field late on last night.
He has shown great hunger to win trophies
His new manager Luis Enrique – whose own future at the Nou Camp incredibly remains undecided – last night admitted the club had doubts over their decision to lure him away from Anfield for such a huge fee.
Enrique said: “When we thought about Luis Suarez and considered him we knew about his great qualities and figures (goals and assists) but we had our doubts in that we did not know whether he would adapt.
“But I think we can say he is one of the best players we signed and it was a good decision to trust him. We paid a lot of money for him but he has shown great hunger to win trophies.”
Mascherano, who left Anfield in 2010, said it was nights like the final which had led Suarez to join Barcelona.
“I think he came here for this, to win.
“He’s a great player with a positive mentality. He’s a top player and a very good person. I’m very, very happy for him.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s a big day for the club, for the team and the supporters of Football Club Barcelona.
“Tonight I feel a participant in the history of this great club and that makes me very proud. We made mistakes tonight, it was not our best game, but we’re not going to analyse that now. Now it’s time to celebrate the fact that Barcelona have won a fifth European Cup.
“It’s a great reason to celebrate, having also won another historic treble. There will be time to discuss things that we probably got wrong, but, well, the cup goes home. It’s my first treble and I feel I’m a small part of the history of this team and this club.”
Despite starting the season with a ban for that World Cup bite, Suarez managed to score 24 goals for Barcelona and provide 21 assists. His partnership with Lionel Messi and Neymar provided an incredible 122 goals.
EUROPEAN CUP WINS
Real Madrid - 10
AC Milan - 7
Liverpool, Bayern Muncih, Barcelona - 5
Ajax - 4
Inter Milan, Man United - 3
No comments:
Post a Comment