Luis Suarez had a phenomenal run with Liverpool last season, leading the Barclays Premier League with 31 goals. In his autobiography Luis Suarez, My Story: Crossing the Line, the FC Barcelona signing credits much of his success to Reds Captain Steven Gerrard, who he says encouraged him to reject a move to Arsenal for £40 million.
According to The Daily Mirror, the 2014 PFA Player of the Year was enthusiastic about a move to the Emirates in the summer of 2013, but was told by his former captain to wait for “one of Europe’s elite to come calling.”
Liverpool had rejected repeated offers by Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, despite Suarez’s interest in switching to the North London club. Suarez writes, “It would have been a big error that I would have made had it not been for Steven Gerrard. We spoke about this when I went to Melwood to pick up my things at the end of the summer and he said: You did the right thing, you waited until the best moment.”
Suarez’s stellar performances for Liverpool in 2013-2014 made him a top target for Europe’s biggest clubs when summer came around. His patience paid off as he became the Catalans’ marquee signing for an eye-watering £75 million and that too, in spite of the four-month ban imposed on him by FIFA after the World Cup in Brazil.
The Uruguayan sensation adds, “He (Gerrard) had told me to play well for Liverpool, give it another year and it will be Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Barcelona coming for you and then you can go where you want, because you have the quality to play at any of those three clubs.”
Hopefully, Suarez’s success story will continue as he plays alongside two of the World’s best forwards Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. at the Camp Nou.