After yesterday’s drama in Barcelona, Luis Suarez was finally presented as an Atletico Madrid player on Friday and passed the medical test.
Leaving FC Barcelona has to be the most difficult decision in Luis Suarez’s life but Atletico Madrid represents an exciting challenge for him. The Uruguay native comes to a club that fits his style of play perfectly and Diego Simeone should be thrilled to have him there. Every time the Colchoneros get a striker like this, they tend to win important titles.
We’re talking about the type of baller who can carry a squad all by himself through scoring important goals. FC Barcelona made a terrible mistake by letting him leave at this specific moment. Boards of directors need to start trusting their best players more when they say they are still capable of playing at the highest level.
But there is no turning back now, Luis Suarez lived his first day as a ‘Rojiblanco’. The man signed his new contract and he was part of a photoshoot in which he wore the team’s colors with a smile on his face. It sure will be difficult watching him play against Barcelona and Leo Messi this season.
Simeone’s predilection for Uruguay players.
This is one of the unspoken truths about Diego Simeone. The gaffer loves working with players who were born in Uruguay. There is a certain level of commitment to the team that players from other countries simply don’t have. They would kill for the sigil and ‘Cholo’ loves that because that’s exactly his personality as a player.
Luis Suarez embodies that personality perfectly and he also comes to continue the legacy of his compatriots. There is one specific Uruguay legend that the striker came to emulate: Diego Forlan. The former player became one of the ‘Colchoneros’ most important footballers during an important time for Atletico Madrid.
Suarez’s plan is to at least try to replicate what Diego did when he played for the club. Luis has two full seasons to prove that he didn’t just come to Madrid to get a paycheck. All the club’s fans are excited by his arrival but a little ambivalent because they don’t know what to expect.