‘Luis Suarez at Liverpool was totally different – nobody within the league is nearly as good now’
Former Liverpool star Jose Enrique has had the privilege of playing with some amazing players, but none of them come close to Luis Suarez.
The Spaniard spent five years at Anfield during a period where the Reds almost clinched their first Premier League title under Brendan Rodgers. A catalyst for the challenge was Suarez – with the Uruguayan striker playing with Enrique for three years before moving to Barcelona.
Suarez is now 37 and playing alongside Lionel Messi for Inter Miami in the MLS. Whilst he only won one trophy during his spell on Merseyside, he produced one of the greatest individual seasons in 2013/14 with 31 goals and 17 assists in just 33 games, a league record at the time.
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Enrique struggled with injury during that season and only ended up playing eight games. His time on the sidelines meant he had a front row seat for Suarez’s heroics and last year he spoke exclusively to Daily Star Sport, via Grosvenor Sport, about the brilliance of the forward.
“I think what Luis could do, I’ve never seen anyone do what he did in a Liverpool shirt,” Enrique said. “I know Gerrard was world-class but I didn’t play with him in his prime. In the 13/14 season, I have never seen a player [like that], not just the numbers even though they were crazy, it was just how superior he was to every single person on the pitch.”
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
While Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has taken the league by storm and broken Suarez’s record for the most goals scored in a single season, Enrique doesn’t think anyone has reached the performance levels the Uruguayan produced since he left the club in a £65million move.
“He was different, you give him the ball and you know something is going to happen and it doesn’t matter if he goes against three defenders by himself. I didn’t see anyone in the Premier League doing that since Suarez,” he continued.
Many Liverpool supporters will see Mohamed Salah’s impact on the top-flight and the club as more important, and while Salah will go down as a bigger legend due to his longevity, Enrique believes Suarez is the better quality player.
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“The reality is he’s breaking records, he stayed for longer, and he’s won a lot more trophies than Luis in the Liverpool shirt. Enrique has only two players who he’d put ahead of the Inter Miami striker as he added: “Both of them are legends of the club but Luis is the best player I’ve ever played with, the only players I put ahead of him are Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Liverpool have gone on to have great success post-Suarez, and although the 37-year-old might look back and think what if, the success he had at Barcelona when linking up with Messi and Neymar is something we’re all blessed to have seen.
