Luis Suarez left Barcelona with a heavy heart and the striker is convinced his departure was partly due to his closeness to Lionel Messi. Barca boss Ronald Koeman declared the Uruguayan a surplus to requirements upon coming in and Suarez said he knew the Catalans are bent on easing him out.
After six seasons with the La Liga giants, Suarez moved to Atletico Madrid before the start of the new campaign and the striker can only describe his exit as ugly. The 33-year-old said the manner that Barcelona handled his affair was inappropriate, adding he learned he is no longer needed from the news.
Barcelona bringing in young forwards in the past years provided the hint that he will be ditched soon but Suarez said there was no formal explanation offered to him. Suddenly, he was brushed aside and according to the star, the treatment he received from the club hurt his family the most.
Suarez remains clueless on why his former club acted that way but the striker thought his close relationship with Messi could be a reason.
"I think they wanted to remove me from Messi's side ... Maybe it annoyed them that I had a good relationship with Leo. Perhaps they didn't want him to be with me so much," Metro reported the Atletico man as saying.
It was puzzling though why Camp Nou would want to break up his partnership with the Argentine superstar, and Suarez said it does not make sense that his closeness with Messi would in any way hurt the team.
Also, the Uruguayan touched on the controversy stirred by Messi's attempt to bolt out of the Spanish side in August. It would have been better had the Catalans allowed the six-time Ballon d'Or winner to leave, and Suarez said he will support his friend even "if he has to go to another club."
Meanwhile, Koeman dismissed the claims made by Suarez. The manager insisted the player could have opted to stay and prove he can still compete for a spot in the Barcelona first-team.
The Dutchman, however, admitted that his game plan is for the club is to "rejuvenate" and it's difficult to accommodate Suarez. Koeman pointed to Ansu Fati and Pedri, who are both 17 years old and the boss said his eyes are set on "players for the future."
"I'm good with Luis, but the club felt that we had to rejuvenate. You can see that now in the team," Mirror reported Koeman as saying.
The coach clarified that he informed Suarez about his future with Barcelona - that he will be a regular player in the club. Koeman said he expected the striker to stay, take up the challenge, and prove his manager wrong.
